*Corresponding author: Dae Joong Kim Department of Veterinary Histology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, 1 Chungdae-ro, Seowon-gu, Cheongju 28644, Korea The training and education of future clinicians are common goals of veterinary and human medical science, and anatomical education programs show close similarities in medical education [1,2]. The differences between veterinary and human anatomical terms can be attributed to the specificities of the anatomical structures. Therefore, understanding terminological differences in this context should benefit the study of veterinary anatomy. Veterinary anatomical terminology (Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria, 2017) is a valuable tool for studying veterinary anatomical structures along with the current international terminology of human anatomy (Terminologia Anatomica, 2019) [3]. Veterinary anatomical terms have much in common with humans, looking for the explanation of individual veterinary anatomical terms in association with those of humans [4]. Regarding Korean terms, Korean veterinary anatomical terminology was also published [5] in company with Korean anatomical terminology [6]. Revisions of veterinary anatomical terms in accordance with human anatomical terms have been completed [7]. The efforts for the revisions are also found in the footnote section of Korean veterinary anatomical terminology, where comparative descriptions of human anatomy are added [8].
With the authors’ experiences as committee members for terminology, this study collected data on the terminological differences beneficial to learning veterinary anatomy in relation to those of humans. Terminological differences can be categorized in several ways based on the specificities of the anatomical structures. The initial comparative analysis between veterinary and human anatomical terms limited the comparisons of the terms to general terminology and osteology in this study. The opinions of veterinary medical students on the need to comprehend terminological differences were also surveyed to validate the benefits of comparative analysis between the terms.
The terms for the comparison were confined to general terminology and osteology. The committee of veterinary and human anatomical terminologies, where the authors work as members, was consulted when determining the selection criteria. According to the suggestions of the committees, the actual comparisons were categorized into the following: (1) terms exclusive to veterinary anatomy, (2) different terms on the homologous anatomical structures, and (3) the same term with different meanings between human and veterinary anatomy.
One hundred and two students attending the undergraduate veterinary medicine course at Chungbuk National University, Korea, completed the survey. The participants were divided into two groups according to whether they had any clinical experiences: first-grade (freshman) students (n = 44) who had finished only anatomical class and fourth-grade (senior) students (n = 58) who had already entered the clinical curriculum. The purposes of this study were explained to the students before conducting the survey. The survey questionnaires for this study contained the following topics: (1) preferred language of veterinary anatomical terminology, (2) subjective need for understanding the differences between human and veterinary anatomical terminology in the study of veterinary anatomy, (3) opinions on the proper way of adding data on the different terms between human and veterinary anatomy to the footnotes, and d) free descriptive responses.
The data were analyzed to examine the differences in opinions between the groups by applying a Pearson’s chi-squared test with a Yates continuity correction. All statistical analyses were performed using software for statistical analysis (R for Windows ver. 4.3.1; R Foundation); p-values < 0.05 were considered significant.
Regarding the term cluneal region, this part is not included in the gluteal region because the muscles in the dorsal part of ischial tuberosity are not called gluteal muscles in domestic animals. Uber, the Latin term for udder, is used in horses and ruminants when all the mammary glands are expressed collectively. The interfrontal suture should be exclusive to veterinary anatomical terminology because the frontal bone of cattle is a paired structure, while sagittal suture means only between the parietal bones, as in humans. The branchia is also exclusive to veterinary terminology as an embryological term (not listed in Table 1), which was also used previously in human embryology as a branchial arch and pharyngeal arch (Table 1).
The dorsal plane is an example of position or direction in general terminology. It is used instead of the coronal or frontal plane in quadrupeds (four-footed animals) because these terms mean the plane of the human forehead; hence, it does not apply to quadrupeds. By contrast, terms such as anterior, posterior, superior, and inferior are also used in quadrupeds along with dorsal, ventral, cranial, and caudal, but not as common as in humans. In the scapula, the ventral angle is a newly adopted term homologous to the lateral angle of the human scapula. In addition, the ventral angle is more appropriate in denoting the border of the scapula than the glenoidal angle. The caudal ventral iliac spine is a homologous structure to the human Anterior Inferior Iliac Spine (AIIS). Previously, the AIIS was also used as a veterinary anatomical term and substituted for the alar spine to avoid confusion with the caudal ventral iliac spine. In the pelvis, the broad sacrotuberous ligament found in hoofed animals is homologous to the human sacrotuberous ligament. On the other hand, this ligament is different from the sacrospinous ligament. Certain veterinary anatomical terms, such as teat, calx, forefoot, and hindfoot, share the same Latin terms as humans, while the English terms differ (Table 2).
Terms such as palmar/plantar, torus, and mammary gland are examples of this category. As an elevated or protruded part of the anatomical structure, the torus has the same meaning in human and veterinary anatomical terminology. On the other hand, the torus is also used to refer to bulging flesh like a paw or digital pad in veterinary anatomical terminology. The mammary gland (mamma) means single breast in humans, while it is used for the glandular complex related to a single teat in domestic animals. For example, a pig usually has 14 mammary glands, whereas cows and goats have only four and two mammary glands, respectively.
Regarding the necessity to comprehend the differences in terminology, there was a meaningful difference between the groups. In the first-grade group, the proportion of students who agreed with this was the same as those who did not agree (41%). In the fourth-grade group, the proportion of students was markedly different between those who agreed (48.3%) and those who did not (18.9%) (Fig. 1A).
In the first- and fourth-grade students, a considerable number of students preferred the English terms for veterinary anatomical terminology to Korean terms, while a meaningful difference existed regarding the proportions of the preferred language. The proportion of students who preferred the English terms was 64% in the first-grade group, but it increased to 82.8% in the fourth-grade group (Fig. 1B).
For the supplementary questionnaire about adding additional references to the footnotes of veterinary anatomical terminology, where differences between veterinary and human anatomical structures are described in consecutive order, more than 80% of students in both groups suggested materials such as tables or pictures (data not shown).
The comparison of the terminologies was summarized into three categories. As the first attempt between veterinary and human anatomical terms, this study elucidated the terminological differences from the viewpoint of learning in the veterinary anatomical field. Therefore, the selection and categorization of terms focused on the differences because of the noticeable structural specificities and the different terms for homologous anatomical structures.
Because veterinary anatomy deals with multiple species, the exact three-dimensional representation is required to understand the complexity of the anatomy of multiple species [9-12]. In line with this situation, digital media, such as computer-based learning programs, are becoming increasingly common in veterinary anatomical education as in humans [13]. This learning environment provides more convenient access to comparisons between human and veterinary anatomy; hence, the need for data on terminological differences should be natural. Therefore, further accumulation of data on the terminological differences, including neuroanatomical, histological, and embryological terms, is expected to enhance the contribution of this work.
According to the opinions of veterinary medical college students, the preferred language of terminology was English, regardless of the group. The Korean veterinary anatomical terminology is still under revision, which might create a burden when choosing Korean as the preferred language. In addition, using English terms should be more convenient for veterinary medical college students when searching for or reading veterinary or human medicine articles.
Regarding opinions on the need to comprehend terminological differences between veterinary and human anatomy, a significantly larger number of students in the fourth-grade group agreed on this than the first-grade group. In general, first-grade students learn veterinary anatomy as a subject of basic veterinary science, while fourth-grade students have more clinical experiences and chances of reading articles comparing human medical sciences. The higher proportion of those who preferred English terms in the fourth-grade group might be attributed to the higher proportion of those who agreed with the need to comprehend the terminological differences in the fourth-grade group. First-grade students might also have ample reading experience on the articles compared to human medical sciences. Therefore, further statistical analysis with more objective criteria other than grades is planned for a more accurate analysis of terminological differences.
As noted in the supplementary results of the students’ opinions, providing materials for determining the differences between the terms at a glance should be beneficial. Hence, supplementary materials such as tables or pictures should be added to the footnotes where comparisons with human anatomical structures are already described [8].
This study provided data on the veterinary anatomical terms concerning humans with categorized means for the first time, but it was preliminary and limited to general terminology and osteology. The survey analysis results suggest that understanding the differences in veterinary anatomical terms from those of humans is more beneficial to the students during clinical experience than when learning basic veterinary medicine. In addition, close collaboration of various committees for terminology is needed to clarify the limitations on integrating veterinary and human anatomical terminology.
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