A 2016 National Library of Medicine report on medical and surgical care during the American Civil War noted that the era “is often referred to in a negative way as the Middle Ages of medicine in the United States.” It also revealed a few questionable medical terms that popped up among the criteria for pre-induction physical exams during the early 1860s:
“In passing a recruit the medical officer is to examine him stripped; to see (that) his chest is ample; that his hearing, vision and speech are perfect; (and) that he is not a drunkard …”
A few thoughts from the vantage point of 2024: “Ample” and “perfect” seem far too arbitrary to make decisions about a life-or-death enterprise. And “drunkard”? That doesn’t exactly hint at an educated understanding of alcoholism.
The upward evolution of healthcare language is ongoing 160 years later, still looking to weed out things like generalities that do harm, including in the realm of health equity. RFU’s innovation in this arena was demonstrated in January by Melissa Chen, MD, when she presented “The Teaching Happens Both Ways: Transforming Medical Education through a Co-created Faculty-Student-Community Health Equity Course” at the university’s annual Diversity Forum.
One example Dr. Chen provided was her work with Carl Lawson, PhD, MPH, MA, on patient-centered language in the 21st Century. They advise clinicians to avoid terms like “aged” or “elderly” — which, they argue, can connote “certain negative stereotypes that may undercut research-based recommendations for better serving our needs as populations age.” The suggestion? Simply list a patient’s date of birth.
Other recommended language: “experiencing poverty” instead of “needy”; “lives with a physical disability” instead of “disabled.” Changes like these, Dr. Chen said, are often inspired by students, who have been “the key for driving institutional change in health professions education, especially regarding health equity.”
In this Education issue of Helix, you’ll see more evidence of how RFU is elevating standards to advance its academic mission — a pair of recently appointed deans bringing forward-thinking visions to their respective colleges; members of the Nexus for Faculty Success providing practical guidance for equitable classrooms; and students Angela Chen and Run Kuang, CMS ’26, sharing their family experiences to support culturally competent care.
Their stories provide hope that the most effective tools — linguistic and otherwise — will be utilized as the next chapter of history is written.
Dan Moran is the former communications director with RFU’s Division of Marketing and Brand Management.