Preparation for GRE: Word Power Made Easy

1. Gynaecologist

Female troubles? This specialist treats the female reproductive and sexual organs.

2. Obstetrician

Having a baby? This specialist delivers babies and takes care of mother during and immediately after the period of her pregnancy.

3. Paediatrician

Is your baby ill? This specialist limits his practice to youngsters, taking care of babies directly after birth, supervising their diet and watching over their growth and development, giving them the series of inoculations that has done so much to decrease infant mortality, and soothing theiranxious parents.

4. Dermatologist

5. Opthalmologist

Eyes okay? The physician whose specialty is disorders of vision (myopia, astigmatism, cataracts, etc.) may prescribe glasses, administers drugs or perform surgery.

6. Orthopaedist

How are your bones? This specialist deals with the skeletal structures of the body, treating bonefractures, slipped discs, clubfoot, curvature of spines, dislocation of hip, etc. and may correct a condition either by surgery or by the use of braces or other applications.

7. Cardiologist

Does your heart go pitter-patter? This specialist treats disorders of the heart and circulatory system.

8. Neurologist

Is your brain working? This physician specializes in the treatment of disorders of the brain, spinal cord and the rest of nervous system.

9. Psychiatrist

Are you neurotic? This specialist attempts to alleviate mental and emotional disturbances by means of various techniques, occasionally drugs or electroconvulsive therapy, more often private or group psychotherapy.

1. Doctors for Women

The word gynecologist is built on Greek gyne, woman, plus logy, science, which comes from the original Greek logos, meaning word. etymologically, gynecology is the science of women.
Obstetrician derives from Latin obstetrix, midwife, which in turn has its source in a Latin verb meaning to stand - midwives stand in front of the woman in labour to aid in the delivery of infant.
The suffix -ician as in obstetrician, physician, musician, magician, electrician, etc. means expert.
The medical specialty dealing with child birth is obstetrics.

2. Children

Paediatrician, is a combination of Greek paidos, child; iatreia, medical healing; and -ician, expert.
Paediatrics then, is by etymology the meadical healing of child.
Pedagogy combines paidos with agagos, leading, is, etymologically, the leading of children. And to what do you lead them? To learning, development, to growth, to maturity. From the moment of birth, infants are led by adults - they are taught, first by parents and then by teachers. Hence, pedagogy, which by derivation means the leading of a child, refers actually to the principles and methods of teaching.
The ped- you see in words like pedestal, pedal and pedestrian is from the Latin pedis, foot.
Pedagogue originally when formed means teacher. But today, this word has been deteriorated to a narrow-minded, old fashioned, dogmatic teacher. It is a word of contempt and should be used with caution.
Like pedagogue, demagogue has also deteriorated in meaning. By derivation a leader(agagos) of people(demos), a demagogue today is actually one who attempts, in essence to mislead the people, a politician who foments discontent among the masses.

3. Skin-deep

The dermatologist, whose specialty is dermatology, is so named from Greek derma, skin.
A hypodermic needles penetrates under the skin.
The epidermis is the outermost layer of skin.
A taxidermist whose business is taxidermy, prepares, stuffs and mounts the skins of animals.
A pachyderm is an animal with an unusual thick skin, like an elephant, hippopotamus, etc.
Dermatitis is the general name for any skin inflammation, irritation or infection.

4. The eyes have it

Ophthalmologist is formed from the combination of opthalmos, eye, plus logos, science or study.
An earlier title for the physician is oculist, formed from Latin oculus, eye, a root on which the many english words are built.
ocular - an adjective that refers to the eye.
monocle - a lens for one (monos) eye, sported by characters in old films as a symbol of British so called upper class.
binoculars - field glasses that increases the range of 2 eyes.
inoculate - treat with a vaccine to produce immunity against a disease. When you are inoculated against a disease, an 'eye', puncture, or hole is made in your skin, through which serum is injected.
Do not confuse ophthalmologist, a medical specialist, with 2 other practitioners who deal with the eye - the optometrist and optician.
Optometrists are not doctors, and do not perform surgery or administer drugs; they measure vision, test for glaucoma and prescribe and fit glasses.
Opticians fall into 2 categories. The first type, often called ophthalmic opticians, perform the same functions as optometrists. The second type make or dispense glasses and contact lenses.

1. The straighteners

The orthopaedist is so called from the Greek root orthos, straight or correct, and paidos, child. The orthopaedist, by etymology , straightens children. The term was coined in 1741 - at that time correction of spinal curvature in children was a main concern of practitioners of orthopaedics.
Today, specialty treats deformities, injuries and diseases of the bones and joints (of adults as well as children), often by surgical procedures.
Orthodontics, straightening of teeth, is built on orthos plus odortos, tooth. The orthodontist specializes in improving your 'bite', retracting 'buck teeth', and by means of braces and other techniques seeing to it that every molar, incisor, bicuspid, etc. is exactly where it belongs in your mouth.

2. The heart

Cardiologist, combines Greek kardia, heart and logos, science.
So, a cardiac condition refers to some malfunctioning of the heart; a cardiogram is an electrically produced record of heartbeat. The instrument that produced this record is called a cardiograph.

3. The nervous system

Neurologist derives from Greek neuron, nerve, plus logos, science.
Neuralgia is acute pain along the nerves and their branches; the word comes from neuron plus algos, pain.
Neuritis is inflammation of the nerves.
Neurosis, combining neuron with -osis, a suffix meaning abnormal or diseased condition, is not despite its etymology, a disorder of nerves, but rather an illness characterized by excessive use of energy for unproductive purposes so that personality development is hindered or stopped.
Neurotic is both the adjectival form and the term used for a person suffering from neurosis.

4. The mind

A neurosis is not a form of mental unbalance. A full-blown mental disorder is called a psychosis, a word built on Greek, psyche, spirit, soul or mind, plus -osis.
A true psychotic, has lost contact with reality - at least with reality as most of us perceive it, though no doubt psychotic people have their own form of reality.
Built on psyche plus iatreia, medical healing, a psychiatrist, by etymology, is a mind-healer. The specialty is psychiatry.
Paediatrics, as you know is built on iatriea, as is geriatrics, the specialty dealing with the particular medical needs of the elderly. The specialist is geriatrician.