DIA - RHEA - Medical Etymology Humanities

RHEA was the MOTHER of Gods and from her FLOWed all the elements of the Universe. In Rome, Rhea belonged to a cluster of motherhood personifications such as Cybele and Ceres or Demeter. From their many names FLOW attributes found in a FLUX of words that inFLUEnced ideas such as those in cereal, ceremony, cerebral, materialism, matrimony and matter already explored and illustrated in several overviews. Here we focus on RHEA, RHESUS, RHINE, GALACTORRHEA, PYORRHEA, DIARRHEA, RHINORRHEA and more remotely in FLOW, FLUID, FLIGHT, RIVER, Rhine and RENAL.

RHEA reminds us of the FLux of Hindu ideas about how the Universe was created. Once, perhaps just once, the Gods and Demons decided to cooperate in the search for immortality. Jointly, they churned an Ocean of Milk. This primordial Ocean originated from a torrent or GANGA flowing from the GALACTIC or MILKY galaxies. To soften its impact, GANGA fell on the matted hair of SHIVA to emerge as gentle RIVers and STReams including the RIVer GANGES. As the Gods and Demons churned the Ocean of Milk, a number of "jewels of the world" emerged - the sun (Apollo) and moon (Artemis), good and evil, elephants, a white horse (Pegasus) , nymphs, a physician (Aesculapius) and other personifications akin to those in Classic Mythology. The last marvel to emerge was SOMA, the elixir of immortality promptly consumed by the Gods. Olympic Gods sustained their immortality by consuming AMBROSIA from the Greek word BROTOS for death - ambrosia standing for death denial. SOMA in Greek refers to a mortal BODY, the reason why humans suffer from SOMATIC and psychoSOMATIC disorders. This prompts humans, in contrast to other intelligent creatures, to seek reMEDies from MEDicine and forever search for ambrosia to aMELioriate diseases. MEL, MED and MEAD (honey) reminds us of the royal food that bees feed the queen bee, the only in their colony from whom flows life. Modern explorers of immortality now tend to rely on genetic engineering. As some successes are emerging, apprehensions are also growing that human churning the Ocean of Milk may be disrupting the harmony between Gods and Demons.

On a more mundane level, RHEA and RHEIN convey the sense of FLOW thus of RIVers or STReams. This is the basis for RHESUS, the name given to macaca mulatta, monkeys fond of swimming in rivers. This species shares with humans an antigen factor named Rh. In the 1940s, investigators discovered a type of hemolytic anemia in newborns with antigenic incompatibility with their mothers blood - the antigen was named Rh (for Rhesus primates) and the disease is known as Rh disease. It appears that medical investigators were aware of STRYMon, the RIVER God and father of RHesus. In any case, STYRYmon and RHEsus seem to have taken root in English and Ukrainian words STREAM, RIVER and STRYM and RIKA. Such similitude may be due in part to ideas rooted in mythology.

STREAMS and RIVERS run or FLOW along FLUVIAL planes. A good RUNning capacity is also essential for the survival of flightless birds such as those of the RHEiform families. The RHEA Americana or Nandu, a native of the pampas of South America, is slightly smaller than the African ostrich. The RHEOidae family includes other types of birds with superior running capacity.

Blood FLUIDidity impacts its FLOW or RHEIN. In medicine RHEOlogy refers to the study of blood circulation. It is a fact that RHEin through the REINS or RENal organs inFLUEnces the FLOW of urine.

RHEO or flow of STREAMs or RIVERS such as the river RHINe along its FLUVial plane defines a region called RHENish. In a scientific sense, RHEOlogy and RHEOstat refer to the study of the FLOW and deformation of matter and its control.

FLOW is also inherent in Rhetoric or the art of FLUID expression to inFLUEnce public opinion.

In medicine, abnormal watery FLOW into diseased tissues is described as RHEuma, RHEUmatism and include RHEumatic fever. Another SOMAtic common disease is a "running nose" or RHInitis and whenever the FLOW from the nasal mucosa is dramatic, it can be called RHINORRHEA which is akin to the term diarRHEA or "running" bowels. However, experts in etymology may object to this point which prompts additional comments.

The links of RHEA with pyorRHEA, seborRHEA, galactorRHEA, amenorRHEA and gonorRHEA are indubitable. Two other common maladies, diarRHEA and RHInorRHEA are treated differently by formal etymologists. Experts link DiarHEA and rhinorRHEA with RHEA but there is some hesitancy to link RHEA with REIN, RAIN and RENAL. Since these are interesting points and to avoid accusations of suffering of verbal diarrhea, readers are invited to explore the notes and comments about the words listed in the left table.