What’s the difference between an -ectomy, an -ostomy, and an -otomy? (1986) • Hacker News Board

Re: What’s the difference between an -ectomy, an -ostomy, and an -otomy? (1986)

#101

Post by defrost » Fri, May 17, 2024, 1:07 AM UTC

ThinkingGuy wrote: post #85

defrost wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, 1986, on Usenet .. a pre WWW internet service. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet The same service the Linus | Tannenbaum Minux | Linux debate took place on. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanenbaum%E2%80%93Torvalds_deb...

The Straight Dope was also a long-running newspaper column.

Good point, although it also had a very early Usenet prescence, where I first encountered it being in Australia at the time.

Maybe there's a Straight Dope reply to the question of when Cecil and Co first posted on Usenet?

Re: What’s the difference between an -ectomy, an -ostomy, and an -otomy? (1986)

#102

Post by albert_e » Fri, May 17, 2024, 8:34 AM UTC

defrost wrote: post #58

albert_e wrote: post #57

Pardon the ignorance 1986 Was this first published in 1986? On the ... internet?

Yes, 1986, on Usenet .. a pre WWW internet service. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet The same service the Linus | Tannenbaum Minux | Linux debate took place on. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanenbaum%E2%80%93Torvalds_deb...

Cool

So it is republished and hosted as a website now?

this web page / site / post must have appeared on WWW much later in that case?

Was originally wondering if this web page is itself published in 1986 (styling /css updates may have come later)

Re: What’s the difference between an -ectomy, an -ostomy, and an -otomy? (1986)

#103

Post by defrost » Fri, May 17, 2024, 9:06 AM UTC

albert_e wrote: post #102

defrost wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, 1986, on Usenet .. a pre WWW internet service. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet The same service the Linus | Tannenbaum Minux | Linux debate took place on. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanenbaum%E2%80%93Torvalds_deb...

Cool So it is republished and hosted as a website now? this web page / site / post must have appeared on WWW much later in that case? Was originally wondering if this web page is itself published in 1986 (styling /css updates may have come later)

The text of Straight Dope answers appeared in print and on Usenet and is copyright to the date of writing | first publication.

The existing text archives would have been ported forward with their original copyright dates some time post 1989 (when Tim Berners-Lee created his WWW specification) likely at least three or four years on as the practice had to spread outside of CERN, outside of the physics community, and early Mosaic browsers to become popular.

Re: What’s the difference between an -ectomy, an -ostomy, and an -otomy? (1986)

#104

Post by kensai » Mon, May 20, 2024, 7:21 AM UTC

_kidlike wrote: post #60

wgm wrote: post #44

Cecil’s answer isn’t quite right. “ectomy” is indeed “cut it out” but the first definition he gives for “ostomy” (“cut a hole in something”) is the proper definition for “otomy”. The second “ostomy” definition is correct: creating a stoma (mouth). It’s all Greek, for real.

Actually -otomy isn't even -otomy... it's -tomy. For example Craniotomy. Cranio-tomy. cranio = κρανίο (skull) tomy = τομή (cut) And -tomy is just a cut, not cut a hole. To cut a hole you'd have to remove a part. Most of the cuts are straight lines and then the skin just opens up like a hole because of stretching. Then, -ostomy is -stomy. Nephrostomy. Nephro-stomy. Nephro = Νεφρό (Kidney) Stomy = Στόμιο (something tha…

Greek physician from a family of Greek physicians confirms this. :)

Let me just add, that in the Western Medicine many words from anatomy come from Latin and many words from physiology/pathology come from Greek. Of course the Greeks themselves have their own words for anatomy as well.