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Latin diagnoses: A necessary evil
Author(s) -
Jørgensen Per M.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
taxon
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.819
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1996-8175
pISSN - 0040-0262
DOI - 10.1002/tax.594018
Subject(s) - sensu , medical diagnosis , nomenclature , taxonomy (biology) , latin americans , the internet , linguistics , computer science , philosophy , biology , zoology , world wide web , medicine , pathology , genus
The idea of allowing diagnoses in any language is disastrous and a step in the wrong direction. As the knowledge of Latin among botanists is diminishing, it is instead important to establish a multilingual Latin‐dictionary on the Internet with examples of how to make diagnoses. Though the importance of the diagnosis sensu Linnaeus now is mostly covered by the type method, it is impossible to give it up as the important link between nomenclature and taxonomy (where the Linnaean description belongs entirely) and with taxonomy in the past.