STANDARD NOMENCLATURE OF DISEASES AND OPERATIONS

The philosophy of the Standard Nomenclature of Diseases and Operations is a concept of a nomenclature scientifically designed and arranged, which can easily be kept current with the advancements of medical science and yet meet the needs of physicians in their office and hospital practices. This concept is basic to the purposes of the nomenclature.

A major purpose for the development of the Standard Nomenclature of Diseases and Operations was the need for a common language for the statement of diagnostic terms and for a means or system whereby diagnoses could be suitably recorded without duplication and confusion. The common language selected consisted of those terms, expressive and descriptive of the disease, the meaning of which would be clear and specific and which could be accepted universally without ambiguity. To accomplish this, all duplicate and unnecessary terms and eponyms were eliminated. With this common term approach and without ambiguity, communication