Abstract

Latin has been the language of medicine all over Western Europe for centuries. In Estonia it has been obligatory until now for the students of medicine to pass a short course of medical Latin. Some years ago discussion was started in an Estonian newspaper whether it is absolutely necessary to use Latin as the language of medicine or not. Therefore another question arises as well: is it necessary to teach Latin to the students of medicine or not?

In the academic year 2003/2004 an inquiry was carried out among the students of medicine of the University of Tartu. Its purpose was to find out the attitudes of the students of medicine towards Latin. The students of medicine were questioned about their motivation for and interest in studying this ancient language. The aim of the research was also to learn what the function of Latin in medicine was in their opinion and whether the tradition of writing diagnoses and prescriptions in Latin should be continued in the modern world.

The results were quite interesting, as Latin did not seem to be a complicated and troublesome subject for the students of medicine. More than a half of the inquired students thought that Latin should continue to hold its position as the international language of medicine.

Yet the question whether the use of Latin in medicine is justified or not can only be answered when a similar inquiry is carried out among the Estonian physicians as well.