Expert: Maria - 10/15/2007

Question
Dear expert, need your help very much!
I want to inscribe one phrase from Paracelsus "Great Art of Surgery" on my fahter's grave stone. My father was exelent doctor and great man, he loved people and everybody REALY loved him. I ask you to translate the sentense
"The most fundumental principle of medicine is love"
to classic, "gold" Latin.
If there are several variants of translation, I need most solemn variant, you understand.
Please help it is realy saint deed.Thank you for your attention.

Answer
Hello,

Here’s the classical Latin translation of “The most fundamental principle of medicine is love":

“Maximum medicinae principium est caritas”.

(See below for grammatical analysis.)

Best regards,
Maria
__________________________________________________
Note that:

-The most fundamental = MAXIMUM (superlative in the nominative neuter agreed with PRINCIPIUM. It derive from the adjective MAGNUS, whose superlative is just MAXIMUS)

- principle = PRINCIPIUM (nominative neuter, 2nd.declension)

- of medicine = MEDICINAE (genitive of MEDICINA, 1st.declension)

-is= EST (from SUM, I am)

-love = CARITAS (nominative, 3rd. declension).
Note that CARITAS means ‘love’ in the sense of  “care, regard,  affection”, that is “careful thought or medical attention” an excellent  doctor like your father must pay to their patients.

As you can see, Latin word order is different from English.