Category: P

A drug which reduces the effects of the parasympathetic nervous system by relaxing smooth muscle, reducing the amount of sweat and saliva produced and widening the pupil of the eye. An example is atropine. A drug opposing the effects of the ‘parasympathetic nervous system. The actions of parasympatholytic drugs are anticholinergic (i.e. preventing acetylcholine from…

An act where someone tries to kill himself or herself, but without really intending to do so, rather as a way of drawing attention to his or her psychological condition. A self-injuring act (such as an overdose of sleeping tablets) that is not motivated by a genuine wish to die. It differs from attempted suicide…

The scientific study of parasitism; the existence and behavior of individual parasites and groups of parasites. A parasite is an organism that entirely lives off of another organism. In medicine, parasitology involves the study of parasitic diseases that affect humans. The study of parasites is a specialized scientific field. While viruses, numerous bacteria, and fungi…

A cyst caused by the growing larvae of a parasite in the body. A cyst enclosing the larval form of certain parasites, such as the cysticercus or hydatid of tapeworms or the larva of certain nematodes (i.e., Trichinella).  

The presence of parasites in the blood.  

A plane near the midline of the body, parallel to the sagittal plane and at right angles to the coronal plane.  

Near the midline of the body.  

A group of skin diseases with scales, similar to psoriasis. Any one of a group of skin diseases (erythrodermas) that develop slowly and are typified by chronic red scaly patches that resemble psoriasis. A chronic disorder of the skin marked by scaly red lesions. A category of uncommon skin conditions identified by red, scaly lesions…

A condition in which the foreskin around the penis is tight and may have to be removed by circumcision. A condition in which a retracted foreskin is too tight and acts like a tourniquet on a penis, an extremely painful condition, especially during an erection. Its avoidance is one of the medical reasons traditionally advanced…

By the side of the nose.