In illo tempore, Roman physicians from Iberia to Anatolia and from Etruria to Carthage had little difficulty communicating with each other. Latin was the language of the Empire. In the 21st century, English has become the unofficial lingua franca of the scientific world and the official language of virtually every international medical meeting. Because of improved communication, English has exerted an excessive if not abusive penetration. Native languages have been polluted with words abhorrent to both English and vernacular speakers. Sometimes, a new clinical technique or name of a medical apparatus is hurriedly translated without regard by the marketing department of an importer. Without further investigation, neologisms and anglicisms are printed in brochures, advertisements, and posters. For example, “stroke” has permeated many different languages, resulting in ridiculous pronunciations. Those of us who are bilingual, not to say the multilinguals, have to exercise constant quality control to maintain a line of practical orthodoxy. Some may advocate an English takeover of all forms of scientific communication. This is not a viable solution. In countries such as France, Spain, or Germany, physicians speak to their patients, communicate with their peers, teach medical school, and conduct their day-to-day practices in their own language. To impose English at community levels …