Category: B

A resin used to make friar’s balsam. A balsamic resin. It is used as a solution applied to the skin to prepare it for application of adhesives, especially adhesive tapes.  

A drug with anaesthetic properties used in some throat lozenges and skin creams. Anesthetic agent found in many over-the-counter preparations for pain and itching. Frequent use of such preparations can lead to hypersensitivity reactions. A local anesthetic used in the form of an ointment, suppository, or aerosol to relieve painful conditions of the skin and…

A fracture of the first metacarpal, the bone between the thumb and the wrist [Described 1886. After Edward Halloran Bennett (1837—1907), Irish anatomist, later Professor of Surgery at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.] Bennett’s fracture — so-called after an Irish surgeon, Edward Hallaran Bennett (1837-1907) — is a longitudinal fracture of the first metacarpal bone in…

A tumour which will not grow again or spread to other parts of the body if it is removed surgically, but which can be fatal if not treated.  

A test to see if sugar is present in the urine [Described 1915. After Stanley Rossiter Benedict (1884—1936), physiological chemist at Cornell University, New York, USA.] A test for the presence of sugar in urine or other liquids. A few drops of the test solution are added to Benedict’s solution, prepared from sodium or potassium…

A protein found in the urine of people who have myelomatosis, lymphoma, leukemia and some other cancers [Described 1848. After Henry Bence Jones (1814-73), physician at St George’s Hospital, London, UK.]. A protein found in urine of individuals with multiple myeloma. The light chain portion of immunoglobulin molecules that may be deposited in the renal…

An informal term for the navel or umbilicus.  

A pain in the abdomen or stomach.  

Paralysis of the facial nerve on one side of the face, preventing one eye being closed. Also called facial paralysis [Described 1821. After Sir Charles Bell (1774-1842), Scottish surgeon. He ran anatomy schools, first in Edinburgh and then in London. Professor of Anatomy at the Royal Academy.] Bell’s palsy is an acute unilateral facial nerve…

Form of acute mania with delirium [After Luther Vose Bell (1806-62), American physiologist].