Surgical removal of the human appendix.

The *appendix* is a tiny tube attached to the large intestine that no longer has any real function. *Appendicitis*—inflammation and swelling of the appendix, usually as a result of bacterial infection—generally occurs between the ages of 10 and 19, and is the most common reason for emergency surgery in the U.S. today. Since the appendix has so little to do, appendectomies normally have no negative aftereffects at all. If appendicitis is ignored, bacteria may enter the blood and infect other parts of the body.

Surgical removal of all or part of the stomach.

*Gastr-* comes from the Greek word for “belly,” and shows up in English in such words as *gastric* (“relating to the stomach”) and *gastronomy* (“the cooking and eating of fine food”). Believe it or not, there are many people today who have had a gastrectomy and live without a stomach; some of them need to eat fairly steadily and carefully through the day, but many lead almost completely normal and even vigorous lives.

Surgical removal of the tonsils.

The tonsils are the areas of tissue that you can see in the mirror on both sides of your throat (not to be confused with the uvula, which hangs down in the middle). Tonsillectomy, the most common surgery performed on children in the U.S., is intended to relieve *tonsillitis*, or inflammation of the tonsils (usually by strep or staph bacteria). But the fact is, tonsillitis can often be successfully treated with antibiotics, which means that surgery, including the week or two of pain and discomfort that follows it, is generally unnecessary.

Surgical removal of all or part of the breast.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women. Early cases can often be treated with drugs or with a small operation called a *lumpectomy* (because it removes a lump). Though a “simple mastectomy” is larger than a lumpectomy, it allows the breast to be reconstructed, using artificial implants or tissue from elsewhere on the body. But “radical mastectomy,” which is required when the cancer is at an advanced stage, takes much of the chest muscle and makes reconstruction impossible. ## IATR **IATR**, from the Greek *iatros*, “healer, physician,” usually hides in the middle of words.

Caused accidentally by medical treatment.

In the 21st century, patients with throat infections are no longer being bled to death by misguided doctors, like the unfortunate George Washington. But iatrogenic injury and death still remain serious risks. Because of a doctor's bad handwriting, a patient may be given the wrong powerful drug. The sheer number of drugs on the market has led to dangerous drug interactions, which often occur when one doctor doesn't know what another is doing. Too many patients go to the hospital for some common treatment and pick up an antibiotic-resistant staph infection. And let's not even think about those unlucky patients who wake up to find that the surgeon has removed the wrong foot.

Relating to or specializing in the treatment of obesity.

*Baros* means “weight” in Greek; so, for example, a *barometer* is an instrument that measures air pressure or weight. *Bariatric* describes the medical treatment of serious overweight—that is, obesity. Bariatric surgery is only employed when other methods of weight loss have been tried and failed. Though stapling the stomach may seem extreme, we now know that obesity greatly increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and stroke, so stomach surgery doesn't just help people look and feel better—it's a potential lifesaver.

Of or relating to old people.

Since most medical care is devoted to those over 65, *geriatrics*, the medical treatment of the elderly, is a highly important specialty. The specific problems of the elderly include physical inactivity and instability, which result from weakness and loss of energy. Weakness of the eyes and ears plays a role, and weakening of the immune system often leads to more disease. All these conditions can be made worse by mental problems, such as declining intellectual activity, declining memory, and depression, which may prevent the patient from taking action to improve his or her condition. But the effects of aging can be greatly relieved by proper care. And the greatest improvement often results when the patient is persuaded to become more physically, mentally, and socially active.

A doctor who treats injuries and diseases of the foot.

Most foot problems result from the fact that human feet were never designed to walk on asphalt and concrete or even to wear shoes (all that cushioning we demand in our shoes may be doing us more harm than good). So today we have an entire medical specialty devoted to feet. In the U.S., a podiatrist is a doctor of *podiatric* medicine (D.P.M.), who is licensed to perform surgery. The root *pod-* comes from the Greek word for “foot” (compare PED). But in England a foot doctor is often called a *chiropodist*, a term that dates from the time when the same specialist treated hands as well, since *chiro-* means “hand.” ```