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#107137 - 07/07/03 02:19 AM diaetetic
Bingley Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 04/09/00
Posts: 3065
Loc: Jakarta
Is this a misprint or old form of dietetic?

From Flatland again:

The art of healing also has achieved some of its most glorious triumphs in the compressions, extensions, trepannings, colligations, and other surgical or diaetetic operations by which Irregularity has been partly or wholly cured.

http://www.alcyone.com/max/lit/flatland/7.html

Bingley
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#107138 - 07/07/03 05:25 AM Re: diaetetic
maahey Offline
addict

Registered: 12/03/02
Posts: 555
I don't know of such a spelling or of the term even, Bingley. I skimmed through the link and 'dietetic' seems to fit into that sentence. If it is a spelling variant, like aetiology, aether and the like, the answer must be in the root. What is the root for diet/ dietetics? Or, could the word be, dieretic? That also might(?) fit into the context. Am curious to hear more.


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#107139 - 07/07/03 07:00 AM Re: diaetetic
of troy Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 10/17/00
Posts: 5400
Loc: rego park
Just what is meant by Irregularity? ?

if its a condition (real or imagined) of the bowels, then i suppose diaetetic could mean diatetic.

but I have never heard of trepanning used for this.

(and goodness knows, americans seem to have a fascination with clean, regular bowels, that has gone excess many times in our history, witness, Dr Kellogg's Spa, and the still current "high colonics" fad.)

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#107140 - 07/07/03 09:09 AM Re: diaetetic
Bingley Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 04/09/00
Posts: 3065
Loc: Jakarta
The AHD has this for the etymology of diet (http://www.bartleby.com/61/36/D0213600.html):

Middle English diete, from Old French, from Latin diaeta, way of living, diet, from Greek diaita, back-formation from diaitsthai, to live one's life, middle voice of diaitn, to treat.

So it looks like maahey is right.

The Irregularity in question is having sides of different lengths.

Bingley
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#107141 - 07/07/03 09:46 AM Re: diaetetic
wwh Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 01/18/01
Posts: 13858
Dear Bingley: I found it in a huge medical dictionary:
diaeretic
<medicine> Caustic.

Origin: Gr. Dividing.

Source: Websters Dictionary

(01 Mar 1998)




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