Welcome to part one of Rodents for Writers: Rats. Rats have been very significant in human society for millennia. From beloved pets to laboratories to the Black Death, rats are everywhere. So, get comfortable while I tell you everything you need to know about rats. Biology of Rats Rats are mammals in the Order Rodentia,…
Endocrinology for writers is the new Monday blog series for March. Endocrinology is the study of the system of hormones and signals the body uses to manage its functions. It’s a complex subject and many people find it confusing. I’m here to help try to make it easier to understand. Why will this help writers?…
Snake’s Cultural Impact Let’s discuss the cultural impact of snakes. Snakes form an important part of many cultures in the world, both modern and historical. Ophidiophobia (phobia of snakes) is commonplace. Last week, we discussed the potential dangers certain snakes pose. The main risks include venomous bites and the largest constrictors. Non-venomous snakes are not…
Understanding Medical Terminology: Body Parts Welcome to the final part of understanding medical terminology: body parts and organs. Like everything else we’ve discussed so far, there are specific word roots for all the organs and body-parts. They are rooted in Greek and Latin, unsurprisingly. Greek and Latin is even combined for certain terminology. Let’s look…
Venomous Snakes There are about 600 venomous snake species in the world. Of those, about 200 are considered deadly to humans. They produce venom which is injected by their fangs during a bite, in order to kill prey, defend themselves and even aid in digestion of their meal. It’s important to make a distinction between…
Roots of Colour Understanding medical terminology – colour, position and quantity. These word roots are essential for accurate descriptions of medical and anatomical items. Many words used to describe the colour of something in the medical world exist. Both Latin and Greek roots are used for the most part with the exception of yellow which…
Snake Senses and Physiology Snake Eyes No, not when you roll a one on a dice. Actual snake eyes, on actual snakes. We’re talking about snake senses and physiology. Snakes generally have good vision, some of them have slitted pupils like cats. All snakes lack eyelids, instead they have a clear scale covering the eye…
Understanding Medical Terminology – Suffixes Last week we talked about prefixes, descriptors attached to the beginning of medical terms. Today we’re going to talk about understanding medical suffixes, attached to the end of medical terminology to add clarity and further description. There’s a lot to go through, so I’ve organised some of the most important…
In honour of this being the Year of the Snake, I thought we could talk about snakes. They are a common phobia, and culturally they have had quite an impact on human society. From the Garden of Eden to Cleopatra’s death, snakes are often thought of as evil or dangerous. Yet other people love them…
Medical Terminology – Prefixes Welcome to part one of my new series for February, helping you in understanding medical terminology, prefixes, suffixes and the history of medical language. This will not be an exhaustive list of terms, as there are hundreds of them and it can be a lot to remember. That said, I want…
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