New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-05-22
GREECE HONORS DOCTOR
DR.. Rose Member of Medical Society
of athens.

DR.. Achilles Rose. of No. 12s East 18th street.
has been elected the corresponding member OF the
Medical Society of Athens in recognition of his
labors 20 reform the technical medical language of
physicians This society is one of the leading med
icaI organizations of the world. In honoring DR..
Rose the society said it considered him the first
physician who had successfully reformed the cor
rupt medical onomatology', All other reformers
according the society did up to the
standard. they showed a poor knowledge OF the
Greek language.
In speaking yesterday of reformed onomatology
DR.. Rose said the study of a language like the
Greek should not cOnfine itself TO the investigation
of either the ancient the modern TO the exclusion
of the other. One compliments the other. and both
should be considered. he said to make possible sci
entifc knowledge of either.
lone would think that this clear TO every
body. and that especially the men of science would
follow this rule in the course of the study of a
language" said DR.. Rose. Indeed they do in the
scientific investigation OF all other languages than
the Greek In studying and teaching Greek our col
lege professors unscientifc. and they have a
conspiracy among themselves against scientific
truth in regard to Greek. The phiologists outside
of Greece. who know only the written tradition of
Greek call all words spoken in Greece to-day which
they have no. found in the old texts new Greek.
and regard them not belonging 10 ancient Greek
notwithstanding that in reality these words and
phenomena are genuine. unadulterated. and often
unchanged, oldest Greek.
The Importance of correct onomatology is that
it furnishes the real instruments for the opera
tion OF the mind; II is important that these nstru-
should be OF the best and II is indeed work
ing in the interest OF science for the progress OF
science when we exert ourselves TO improve our
onOmatOlogy
Since the words preserve the ideas and transmit
them. perfection in science is impossible without
perfection in language. However true the facts
may be. however correct the ideas developed by
facts. only wrong impressions will be transmitted
so long the expressions by which they are COM
lnunicated not exact I have heard 1t said
that reform in Onomatoiogy would cause tncon-
VenIence- This. of course. cannot be considered
from scientific point of view
However. there need be no fear of inconvenience.
Scientific onomatology will do away with much
confusion and dispute which exist on account or
improper terms.
In many instances nomenclators of modern times
have gone astray by creating unnecessary words
and by violating the laws of analogy and orthog-
raphy. Irregularities In the formation OF med
lcal terms have been permitted extensive field
because physicians of recent periods have more
and more abandoned language study.
While grammaticians have thus far done very
little In presence Of existing animosity against
scientific language In medicine, the innOvators
have carried their audacfty to such point that
medical onOmatology threatens to become before
long entirely uninteligible. The Greek of to-day.
as taught in the schools throughout Greece. the
ofhcial language OF the government of Greece, is
pure Attic Greek, pure as IL ever was. IL Is
the immortal Greek in all its youth and beauty,
free from foreign elements"