Category: W

  • Wetzel grid

    A graph for use in evaluating growth and development in children aged 5 to 18 years.  

  • Wet pack

    A form of bath given by wrapping a patient in hot or cold wet sheets, covered with a blanket, used in the distant past especially to reduce fever.  

  • Wet nurse phenomenon

    The production of milk in response to repeated stimulation of the nipples in unpregnant women who have previously been pregnant.  

  • Wet nurse

    A woman who breastfeeds another’s child.  

  • Wet cup

    In traditional medicine, a cupping glass that is placed on the skin after the skin injured. It is purported to draw toxins from the body.  

  • Wet brain

    An increased amount of cerebrospinal fluid with edema of the meninges; may be associated with alcoholism. Part of the central nervous system contained in the cranium; largest and most complex nerve tissue and controls sensation, muscles, gland activity, and the power to think and feel emotions.  

  • Western ontario McMaster osteoarthritis index

    A self-administered assessment test of hip or knee pain, disability, and joint stiffness in osteoarthritis patients.  

  • Wernicke’s center

    An area in the dominant hemisphere of the brain that recalls, recognizes, and interprets words and other sounds in the process of using language.  

  • Werdnig-Hoffmann paralysis

    Infantile muscular atrophy, considered by some to be identical with amyotonia congenita. A form of gradually worsening muscle wasting.  

  • Welt

    An elevation on the skin produced by a lash, blow, or allergic stimulus. The skin is unbroken and the mark is reversible.