Magyar Orvosi Nyelv

Főszerkesztői előszó

2026-03-02T13:53:20+00:00

In memoriam Péter Bősze (1938–2025)

2026-03-02T13:41:13+00:00

Bősze Péter professzor távozásával nem csupán a magyar és a nemzetközi nőgyógyászati onkológia vesztette el egyik legjelentősebb alakját, hanem a magyar orvosi nyelv is. Kevés olyan ember élt a modern magyar orvoslás történetében, aki
annyira elszántan, következetesen és eredményesen dolgozott volna az anyanyelvi kultúra szolgálatában, mint ő. Életművének jelentős része a szó, a magyar orvosi szaknyelv tisztasága, művelése és intézményes fejlesztése köré szerveződött.

Bitter and sweet pills

2026-03-19T10:27:09+00:00

Based on linguistic and historical data, this study traces the origins and semantic development of the names of several solid dosage forms, including pills, tablets, and capsules. The history of the examined dosage forms reflects efforts to facilitate medicine intake and ensure accurate dosing. In the Middle Ages and early modern period, the names of sugar- and honey-based medicines, as well as other dosage forms, mostly referred to the shape of the preparations. Since a single term could designate several different preparations, their identification and differentiation is often challenging. With the spread of modern tablets and capsules, older forms of medicine were gradually pushed into the background, and their names either disappeared or underwent semantic change through expansion or narrowing. Many terms related to earlier forms of medicine preparation or use have survived only in fixed phrases and idioms, while the names of some former pharmaceutical products live on in the terminology of confectionery and sweets.

Professional considerations regarding the nomenclature used in infant and pediatric mortality

2026-03-19T10:27:09+00:00

The death of an infant or child is an unbearable loss for the family, therefore, a detailed and professional forensic medical examination is essential, particularly in cases of unnatural death. The aim of this review is to compare the nomenclature and criteria of internationally applied professional guidelines used in the investigation of death in infancy and childhood (namely, the San Diego criteria, and the protocols of The Royal College of Pathologists) and highlight the main differences with the Hungarian nomenclature. We note that in Hungary there is no unified and specific terminology when it comes to the investigation of sudden death in infancy and childhood, especially for the accurate and differentiated assessment of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) cases. In this paper, we propose clarification of the Hungarian forensic nomenclature and recommend a more detailed description of different causes of death in infancy and childhood.

Graphic descriptions used in Hungarian autopsy reports

2026-03-19T10:27:09+00:00

In the pathological examination reports, several expressive terminologies are used that not merely describe the size of the given lesions, but simultaneously characterize their dimension, shape, color, or the palpation feelings. These peculiar terms frequently derive from the everyday milieu and provide illustrative depictions. The paper portrays the most commonly employed metaphors both from the earliest and present-day autopsy reports.

Conceptions of the soul in antiquity

2026-03-19T10:27:09+00:00

This article is a brief and by no means complete description of the ancient concept of the soul. How do medical terms like schizophrenia, oligophrenia, bradyphrenia and so on, where the phren originally means diaphragm related to the soul? The connection between the soul and physical illnesses has been known since shamanistic ideas. How did the breath-soul, animus-anima, vis animalis and vis vitalis develop further, and the damage of these could cause diseases even according to 18th century ideas?

Language Barriers in Multilingual Healthcare Settings and Their Context in Hungary

2026-03-19T10:27:09+00:00

Due to international migration and changes in the cultural and linguistic composition of societies, linguistic barriers are becoming increasingly common in Hungarian healthcare, threatening effective communication, patient safety, the quality of care, and the protection of patients’ rights. This study presents eight case studies that illustrate the diversity of problems arising from language barriers and outlines possible solutions based on international literature. It then examines the situation in Hungary, reviewing language policy frameworks, the lack of professional interpreting services, and multilingual healthcare documents, as well as the ad hoc communication strategies used by healthcare professionals. Special attention is given to the low number of trained language experts in healthcare and the possible reasons for this shortage. Finally, the study introduces the 2023-established Language Assistance in Hungarian Health Care: Translations for Effective Communication (LAHTEC) research group, which aims to develop system-level solutions for language assistance. The study emphasizes that reducing linguistic barriers is essential not only ethically, but also economically and legally, to improve the effectiveness of healthcare delivery.

Person designation in medical diagnostic laboratory instructions for use and their hungarian translation

2026-03-19T10:27:09+00:00

The case study presents a comparative analysis of an English source text and its Hungarian target text of a medical diagnostic laboratory analytical device manual. The analysis focuses on the translation of person deixis and modal verbs, which influence the linguistic representation of the interpersonal relationship between the manufacturer and the user. The aim of the research is to explore how the translation of person deixis and modal verbs affects the functional equivalence of the texts and the linguistic representation of the manufacturer–user relationship. In the long term, the research aims to develop translation guidelines based on a larger corpus to support professional translators working with manuals of medical diagnostic laboratory analytical instruments. The results indicate that in the English text, instructions typically appear as short, second-person imperatives, whereas in the Hungarian translation, third-person formal imperative forms are used. While the English text often employs advisory formulations, the Hungarian version tends to adopt normative, prescriptive expressions.

Kérdezz-felelek

2026-03-19T10:27:09+00:00

A HUN-REN Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpontban (korábban: a Magyar Tudományos Akadémia Nyelvtudományi Intézete) a jogelőd intézmény megalapítása óta működik nyelvi közönségszolgálat, amely jelenleg e-mailben és telefonon áll az érdeklődő közönség rendelkezésére nyelvhasználati, helyesírási kérdésekben. Rovatunkban a nyelvi közönségszolgálathoz érkezett, az orvosi és más szaknyelvekhez kapcsolódó kérdésekből és az azokra adott válaszokból adunk közre néhányat.