iatro-

Iatro- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “healer, medicine, healing.” It is used in a few, mostly obscure medical and scientific terms.

Iatro- comes from the Greek iātrós, meaning “healer.”

Corresponding forms of iatro- combined to the end of words are -iatric, as in pediatric, and iatrics, as in geriatrics.

One example of a medical term that features the combining form iatro- is iatrogenic, a term used to refer to medical disorders “caused by the diagnosis, manner, or treatment of a physician.” Adverse side effects from drugs or infections acquired from hospitals are examples of iatrogenic illness.

The combining form iatro- means “healer, medicine, healing.” So, what about the -genic part of the word? The form -genic has a variety of meanings, including “produced or caused by.” Iatrogenic has a literal sense of “caused by a physician or medical treatment.”

What are some words that use the combining form iatro-?

• iatrochemistry
• iatrochemist
• iatrology
• iatromathematics
• iatrophysics

What are some other forms that iatro- may be commonly confused with?

• hystero-
• ictero-
• ideo-
• iono-
• nitro-

In the 16th and 17th century, scientists pursued a branch of chemistry known as iatrochemistry. Based on the meaning of iatro-, the discipline of chemistry provided the framework for understanding what, generally speaking?