Category: L

  • Lead-free

    With no lead in it.  

  • Lead

    A mineral that is toxic to the neuromuscular system. A metallic element and normal blood constituent that can be toxic if ingested. If blood or urine levels are elevated, lead poisoning is likely. Insulated wires connecting a monitoring device to a patient. A metallic element whose compounds are poisonous; atomic weight 207.2, atomic number 82,…

  • Lazy eye

    Lazy eye

    An eye which does not focus properly without an obvious cause. The widely used term for amblyopia, a condition where normal vision fails to develop in an otherwise healthy eye, is “lazy eye.” Additionally, “lazy eye” can also refer to a convergent squint, where one eye turns inward.  

  • Latissimus dorsi

    A large flat triangular muscle covering the lumbar region and the lower part of the chest. The latissimus dorsi is a broad, triangular muscle located in the back. It attaches to the lower vertebrae of the chest and the rear of the pelvis, extending to the upper part of the humerus, which is the bone…

  • Lateroversion

    A condition in which an organ is turned to one side. A turning or displacement of an organ, for example the womb (uterine lateroversion), to one side.  

  • Lateral fissure

    A groove along the side of each cerebral hemisphere.  

  • Lassar’s paste

    An ointment made of zinc oxide, used to treat eczema [After Oskar Lassar (1849-1907), German dermatologist]. Lassar’s paste is a conventional skin remedy utilized for conditions like psoriasis. It’s formulated with salicylic acid and zinc oxide. On occasion, dithranol is also incorporated into the mix.  

  • Lassa fever

    A highly infectious and often fatal virus disease found in Central and West Africa, causing high fever, pains, and ulcers in the mouth [After a village in northern Nigeria where the fever was first reported]. Highly contagious viral disease, largely confined to central West Africa; it is characterized by fever, inflammation of the pharynx, difficulty…

  • Laser surgery

    Surgery using lasers, e.g. for the removal of tumours, sealing blood vessels, or the correction of shortsightedness. Use of a narrow, highly concentrated beam of light, focused through a microscope, to do extremely precise, delicate surgery; a kind of microsurgery. In eye surgery, for example, lasers can be used in treating tears in the retina,…

  • Laser probe

    A metal probe which is inserted into the body and through which a laser beam can be passed to remove a blockage in an artery.