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Old 11-17-2005, 01:59 AM  
Libertine
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Join Date: May 2002
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Doctors don't really use Latin. They use Latin words, but they only use those words as specific medical terms, thus very often changing their meaning from what it was in the time of the Romans. The average Roman citizen or medieval scholar would have a hard time understanding most medical terms. On the other hand, most doctors' knowledge of Latin only extends to the medical terms they know, and without things like grammar and a basic vocabulary one can hardly be considered to "know" a language.

On the other hand, learning Latin is essential for many scholars, since it was the lingua franca of Europe up until the 18th century. Historians and those with an interest in history can't really do without it.
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