How is new terminology introduced to a field?

  • Context: Medical 
  • Thread starter Thread starter ampakine
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Field Terminology
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion emphasizes the necessity for new terminology in the field of pharmacology to better categorize substances with biological effects. Participants argue for distinct terms to differentiate between drugs based on their action on the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS). Specifically, they propose three categories: drugs affecting only the CNS, those that do not cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and affect only the PNS, and those that impact both systems. The conversation also touches on the historical context of terminology development, suggesting that many new terms derive from Latin and Greek roots.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of pharmacological classifications
  • Familiarity with central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS) functions
  • Knowledge of blood-brain barrier (BBB) mechanisms
  • Basic grasp of etymology related to scientific terminology
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the distinctions between CNS and PNS drugs
  • Explore the implications of blood-brain barrier (BBB) in drug design
  • Investigate the historical development of pharmacological terminology
  • Study the role of serotonin in both CNS and gut functions
USEFUL FOR

Pharmacologists, medical researchers, linguists interested in scientific terminology, and healthcare professionals seeking to enhance their understanding of drug classifications and effects.

ampakine
Messages
60
Reaction score
0
I think we badly need some new terminology for substances that have biological effects. We need more general words for these substances, the word "drug" just isn't enough. For instance we should have a word for a drug used to alleviate the symptoms of an ailment to reduce the ambiguity associated with just calling them "drugs", a term which also encompasses drugs that actually cure the ailment. We should have 3 different commonly used words for drugs depending on which nervous system they affect. A word for drugs that only act on the CNS, a word for drugs that do not cross the BBB and directly only affect the PNS and a word for drugs that affect both. How does new terminology for not so new fields become accepted though?
 
Biology news on Phys.org
is it even true that there are drugs that only affect the CNS? serotonin (a common CNS drug target) was discovered in the gut.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin#History

i think most new terms are simply cobbled from a mix of ancient Latin and Greek, the traditional languages of scholarship in europe.
 

Similar threads

Replies
1
Views
3K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Replies
1
Views
3K
  • · Replies 18 ·
Replies
18
Views
6K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Replies
5
Views
5K
  • · Replies 38 ·
2
Replies
38
Views
5K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
4K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
6K