Secret Doctor Slang
Thanks to the popularity of shows like ER and Grey’s Anatomy, you probably know a handful of medical terms. For instance, stat, or “at once,” CCs (cubic centimeters), and Code Blue (a patient needs resuscitation). But how about Code Brown? Or incarceritis? Or turfing?
In his book The Secret Language of Doctors, emergency room physician Dr. Brian Goldman takes a look at hundreds of such slang terms. Here we explore 17 of them (and fair warning, some of these you might be better off not knowing).
1. THE BUNKER
The bunker is where medical residents meet to hand over patients, as well as, according to Goldman, where they often let loose—with tirades riddled with slang. The term might come from the military meaning of the word, a dug-out or reinforced shelter.incurable conditions.” However, the Oxford English Dictionary’s earliest citation is from a July 1972 issue of National Lampoon: “Gomer, a senile, messy, or highly unpleasant patient.” This might come from the earlier military slang for someone inept or stupid, perhaps named for the bumbling Gomer Pyle of The Andy Griffith Show.
7. WHINEY PRIMEY
A whiney primey is a first-time mother-to-be who comes to the hospital over and over, mistakenly thinking she’s in labor. Primey comes from primipara, a woman who’s pregnant for the first time, also known as a primp.
8. FOOBA
Perhaps inspired by FUBAR (military slang for “f***ed up beyond all recognition”), FOOBA stands for “found on orthopedics barely alive.” It’s thought among medical professionals that orthopedic surgeons are excellent technicians but lacking in other areas. For instance, an internist Goldman knows says he’s seen many patients in orthopedic wards go into heart failure due to too much IV fluid.
Orthopedic surgeons are sometimes called orthopods, which is considered disparaging because of its resemblance to anthropoid, resembling an ape.
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