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<p><strong>Nosology</strong> (from the <a title="Greek language" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_language">Greek</a> "<em>nosos</em>," "disease") is a branch of <a title="Medicine" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine">medicine</a> that deals with <a title="Classification" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classification">classification</a> of <a title="Disease" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disease">diseases</a>.</p>
<p>Diseases may be classified by <a title="Etiology" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiology">etiology</a> (cause), <a title="Pathogenesis" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathogenesis">pathogenesis</a> (<a title="Mechanism" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanism">mechanism</a> by which the disease is caused), or by <a title="Symptom" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symptom">symptom</a>(s). Alternatively, diseases may be classified according to the <a title="Organ system" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_system">organ system</a> involved, though this is often complicated since many diseases affect more than one organ.</p>
<p>A chief difficulty in nosology is that diseases often cannot be defined and classified clearly, especially when etiology or pathogenesis are unknown. Thus diagnostic terms often only reflect a symptom or set of symptoms (<a title="Syndrome" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syndrome">syndrome</a>).</p>
<p>Some of the earliest efforts at developing a classification of diseases began in the <a title="18th century" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/18th_century">18th century</a> with the <a title="Taxonomist" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxonomist">taxonomist</a> <a title="Carolus Linnaeus" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolus_Linnaeus">Carolus Linnaeus</a> and Francois Boissier de Sauvages, although <a title="Thomas Sydenham" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Sydenham">Thomas Sydenham</a>'s work in the late <a title="17th century" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17th_century">17th century</a> might also be considered a nosology.</p>
<p>In the <a title="19th century" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th_century">19th century</a>, <a title="Emil Kraepelin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emil_Kraepelin">Emil Kraepelin</a> and then <a title="Jacques Bertillon" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Bertillon">Jacques Bertillon</a> developed their own nosologies. Bertillon's work, classifying causes of <a title="Death" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death">death</a>, was a precursor of the modern medical-billing code system, <a title="ICD" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICD">ICD</a>.</p>
<p>The early nosological efforts grouped <a title="Disease" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disease">diseases</a> by their <a title="Symptom" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symptom">symptoms</a>, whereas modern systems (e.g. <a title="SNOMED" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNOMED">SNOMED</a>) focus on grouping diseases by the <a title="Anatomy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatomy">anatomy</a> and <a title="Etiology" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiology">etiology</a> involved.</p>
<p><a id="See_also" name="See_also"></a></p>
<h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">See also</span></h2>
<ul>
<li><a title="Differential diagnosis" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differential_diagnosis">Differential diagnosis</a></li>
<li><a title="ICD" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICD">International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems</a></li>
<li><a title="Medical classification" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_classification">Medical classification</a></li>
<li><a title="Pathology" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathology">Pathology</a> (study of disease)</li>
<li><a title="Category:Diseases" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Diseases">Category:Diseases</a> (Wikipedia's categorization of diseases)</li>
</ul>
<p><a id="External_links" name="External_links"></a></p>
<h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">External links</span></h2>
<ul>
<li>Gordon L. Snider, Nosology for Our Day Its Application to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, <em>American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine</em> Vol 167. pp. 678-683, (2003). <a rel="nofollow" title="http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/full/167/5/678" class="external text" href="http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/full/167/5/678">fulltext</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Diseases may be classified by <a title="Etiology" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiology">etiology</a> (cause), <a title="Pathogenesis" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathogenesis">pathogenesis</a> (<a title="Mechanism" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanism">mechanism</a> by which the disease is caused), or by <a title="Symptom" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symptom">symptom</a>(s). Alternatively, diseases may be classified according to the <a title="Organ system" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_system">organ system</a> involved, though this is often complicated since many diseases affect more than one organ.</p>
<p>A chief difficulty in nosology is that diseases often cannot be defined and classified clearly, especially when etiology or pathogenesis are unknown. Thus diagnostic terms often only reflect a symptom or set of symptoms (<a title="Syndrome" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syndrome">syndrome</a>).</p>
<p>Some of the earliest efforts at developing a classification of diseases began in the <a title="18th century" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/18th_century">18th century</a> with the <a title="Taxonomist" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxonomist">taxonomist</a> <a title="Carolus Linnaeus" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolus_Linnaeus">Carolus Linnaeus</a> and Francois Boissier de Sauvages, although <a title="Thomas Sydenham" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Sydenham">Thomas Sydenham</a>'s work in the late <a title="17th century" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17th_century">17th century</a> might also be considered a nosology.</p>
<p>In the <a title="19th century" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th_century">19th century</a>, <a title="Emil Kraepelin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emil_Kraepelin">Emil Kraepelin</a> and then <a title="Jacques Bertillon" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Bertillon">Jacques Bertillon</a> developed their own nosologies. Bertillon's work, classifying causes of <a title="Death" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death">death</a>, was a precursor of the modern medical-billing code system, <a title="ICD" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICD">ICD</a>.</p>
<p>The early nosological efforts grouped <a title="Disease" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disease">diseases</a> by their <a title="Symptom" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symptom">symptoms</a>, whereas modern systems (e.g. <a title="SNOMED" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNOMED">SNOMED</a>) focus on grouping diseases by the <a title="Anatomy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatomy">anatomy</a> and <a title="Etiology" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiology">etiology</a> involved.</p>
<p><a id="See_also" name="See_also"></a></p>
<h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">See also</span></h2>
<ul>
<li><a title="Differential diagnosis" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differential_diagnosis">Differential diagnosis</a></li>
<li><a title="ICD" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICD">International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems</a></li>
<li><a title="Medical classification" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_classification">Medical classification</a></li>
<li><a title="Pathology" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathology">Pathology</a> (study of disease)</li>
<li><a title="Category:Diseases" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Diseases">Category:Diseases</a> (Wikipedia's categorization of diseases)</li>
</ul>
<p><a id="External_links" name="External_links"></a></p>
<h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">External links</span></h2>
<ul>
<li>Gordon L. Snider, Nosology for Our Day Its Application to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, <em>American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine</em> Vol 167. pp. 678-683, (2003). <a rel="nofollow" title="http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/full/167/5/678" class="external text" href="http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/full/167/5/678">fulltext</a></li>
</ul>