Category: D

Fantasy state in which thinking is removed from reality and logic, sometimes manifested in severe form in schizophrenia. Undirected fantasy thinking that fails to respect the realities of life. When this becomes markedly dominant it may be a feature of schizoid personality or of schizophrenia. In psychiatry, activity and thought based on fantasy and wishes…

Disturbance of the mind or body; in orthopedics, refers to disruption of the normal relationships between joint structures (e.g., internal derangement of the knee). Lack of order or organization; confusion.  

Loss or removal of the mineral content of bone tissue.  

Giving food to a baby or animal whenever it shows a need, in contrast to schedule feeding, in which feedings are given according to a fixed, preset schedule (e.g., every 4 hours).  

Any of several conditions that lead to progressive loss of function (e.g., chorea. Parkinsonism). An umbrella description for a wide variety of conditions in which there is increased deterioration of the structure or function (or both) of the body. Ageing causes a steady degeneration of many tissues and organs for example, wrinkling of the skin,…

Reduction, from the normal level, in the amount of a substance or in a level of function (e.g., oxygen deficit, a condition caused by strenuous exercise, that exists in cells during temporary oxygen shortage).  

Electronic device used to apply electrical shocks to the heart via paddles or pads placed on the patient’s chest (defibrillation); used in the treatment of ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. During cardioversion, the same device is employed, but utilized in a different manner.  

Stopping, usually by electric shock, of heart muscle contractions that are out of normal rhythm (are fibrillating). In this common emergency procedure, a defibrillator delivers an electric shock (of preset voltage) to the heart through the chest wall in an attempt to restore normal heart rhythm.  

Position assumed by patients with severe brain damage (decorticate rigidity or posturing) with arms flexed, fists clenched, and legs extended; opposite is decerebrate rigidity with the extremities stiff and extended, and the head retracted. Removal of all or part of the outer layer (cortex) of an organ or structure. The state of being without a…

Any of the 20 teeth that appear during infancy and early child¬ hood and are later shed, generally between the ages of 6 and 13, to be replaced by the permanent teeth; also called milk tooth; primary tooth. Any of the 20 teeth that make up the first dentition, which are shed and replaced by…