paraplegia

Term:paraplegia

Origin: Anc Greek

παρά/para (=becide)

>πλήσσω/plesso(=strike)

literally means “be stricken on one side” 

Coined:

The name paraplegia is to be found several times in brief in the Greek texts of Hippocrates and Galen although not always corresponding to the clinical picture as understood today . On the other hand Galen must be credited with a competent description of this disease but he did mention the name paraplegia.

Definition:

Paraplegia is the paralysis of the lower half of the body (below T1 region)