Glossary

Category: C

  • Colour index

    The ratio between the amount of haemoglobin and the number of red blood cells in a specific amount of blood.  

  • Colour blindness

    A condition of being unable to tell the difference between specific colours. inability to detect differences between colours.  

  • Colostomy bag

    A bag attached to the opening made by a colostomy, to collect faeces as they are passed out of the body.  

  • Colonoscope

    A surgical instrument for examining the interior of the colon. An endoscope for viewing the interior of the colon. It is made of fibreglass which ensures flexibility, and incorporates a system of lenses for magnification and a lighting system. A slender, flexible, hollow instrument equipped with a light source, inserted through the anus and rectum…

  • Colonic irrigation

    The washing out of the contents of the large intestine using a tube inserted in the anus. Flushing of the colon with water, that is, an enema.  

  • Coloboma

    A condition in which part of the eye, especially part of the iris, is missing. A defect in the development of the eye causing abnormalities ranging in severity from a notch in the lower part of the iris, making it pear-shaped, to defects in the lower part of the retina and choroid (the inner layers…

  • Collodion

    A liquid used for painting on a clean wound, where it dries to form a flexible covering. A syrupy solution of nitrocellulose in a mixture of alcohol and ether. When applied to the surface of the body it evaporates to leave a thin clear transparent skin, useful for the protection of minor wounds. Flexible collodion…

  • Colliculus

    One of four small projections in the midbrain. A small protuberance or swelling. Two pairs of colliculi, the superior and inferior colliculi, protrude from the roof of the midbrain.  

  • Collection chamber

    A section of the heart where blood collects before being pumped out.  

  • Collapse

    A condition in which someone is extremely exhausted or semi-conscious. A condition in which an organ becomes flat or loses air. A sudden exhaustion, prostration, or weakness due to decreased circulation of the blood. “Collapse” is an informal expression denoting a state of profound fatigue or extreme depletion. It can also be employed to describe…