Syrinx and Syringe

Many medical terms have Greek derivations. Common examples are ophthalmology (from ophthalmos, eye), strabismus (from Strabismus, squinting), and glaucoma (from glaukos, gleaming or gray). One of the most interesting backgrounds for medical words concerns syringe and syringomyelia. They are derived from syrinx the Greek word for reed, tube, or fistula. The word syrinx itself has an interesting origin in Greek mythology.

The story of Syrinx is found in Ovid's Metamorphoses.1 Syrinx was one of the nymphs, a group of minor goddesses. They...