The student representative body at my medical school (of which I have to admit to being overly involved) is currently undergoing a transition period of sorts. The committee has decided we need a motto, and a Latin one at that. The job description is something short, sharp and shiny which encapsulates ideals of tradition, community/fellowship, and something quasi-medical such as caring. My preference was for a short sentence, but the majority of the committee prefers three words which cover, however tenuously, the sort of ideals mentioned above.

So, any ideas? Something original would be best, and I don't mind whether it takes the form of individual words or a phrase. Just out of interest, the University motto (or whatever the proper term) is sub cruce lumen, and I'll offer bonus points if you can link that in as well.

Dear doc comfort: I don't know enough Latin, but how about adding to the University motto the Latin for "Under the Light, Healing"?

... and something about golf

But is it really golf? or could it be a rabbit or a beetle?

Under the Light, Healing

Which would come out something like, sub lumine, sanare.

Sub lumine crucis sanare (Thanks, Faldage)

sub lumine crucis sanare

would be "under the light of the cross, healing".

Dear Faldage: Since doc comfort would prefer a three word motto, would simply
"Lumine crucis sanare" be acceptable?

lumine crucis sanare

Sounds like we're treading on the territory of the ablative of means giving us, "healing by (means of) the light of the cross". Makes it sound like we're geting into Christian Science or Seventh Day Adventist.

Dear Faldage: the motto of the University says clearly it is run by the Church. I think the Church would find quite acceptable the implication that the Light of the Cross promotes Healing. I am not religious, but I would not mock those who are.

I got no problem with an implication that the light of the cross is aiding the cure. I'm just worried that it would suggest that that was all that was needed and I think that lumine crucis sanare would suggest just that. But it's their call, ultimately.

Better clear somthing up before it gets out of hand. Sub cruce lumen, "the light under the cross", is usually expanded to "the light (of learning) under the (Southern) Cross". There is, to my understanding, no intentional reference to Christianity.

What would this be in Latin?

(Sorry, Doc, I just had to ask. If I were going to make up a hospital, I'd want its motto to be "Blood and Guts" and I figured the Latin speakers here may indulge me in my warped curiosity. Hope the English translates into something that looks very respectable and kind of posh in Latin.)

Best regards,
WW

Sanguis et viscera comes immediately to mind. There may be another word for guts that's a little more gutsy. ICLIU. The word haruspex means someone who looks at entrails (for purposes of divination) with the haru- from the IE root that also gives us chord and yarn, but the AHD didn't give any other Latin words from that root other than hernia, protruding guts.

I'm thinking that we're better off here with an intransitive verb (sanare is transitive) here. That would be sanescere giving us sub lumine, sanescere.

The word haruspex means someone who looks at entrails (for purposes of divination)

Which could well make it the proper Latin term for "economist"!

Which could well make it the proper Latin term for "economist"!

... and also for "politician"!

e unum plurbis?

... and also for "politician"!

So the politician takes your prize goat, cuts its throat, rips out its entrails and from this divines you're gonna have a bad day.... yeah, I think you just convinced me, musick!

Update

The latest thought is along the lines of "(Good) Health, through Tradition and Spirit" but in Latin of course. Can anyone help with a translation? And a nice Latin word covering the concept of community/fellowship/etc?

Ab ova ad Mortuis

From the Womb to the Tomb

Edited later:

Make tha:

Ab ovo usque ad extremum

This is grammatically correct Latin,

Let me get this straight... The medical student commitee want a new motto to reflect the beliefs/ideals of the medical school to the community. So you want it written in a language that even the authors of this creed don't understand. How will those who you are communicating with understand if you, the authors don't? I have just spent the last 5 years of my life learning a plethora of latin/greek terms for disease/conditions/structures that would be a hell of a lot easy to learn if they were directly translated into english (patients often think that the incomprehensible name of their symptom is actually a diagnosis it seems like some people would rather suffer from polymyalgia rheumatica than aching muscles and joints). I'm not saying that we should retranslate everything back into english but I don't see the point in protracting this ridiculous charade. Unless of course you have other reasons for using latin... history, tradition, etc.

Unless of course you have other reasons for using latin...

It looks much cooler on letterheads.

much cooler on letterheads

Which brings up the question: What language did the Romans use when *they wanted to bamboozle somebody?

No need. If you're good enough, you can bamboozle in any language!