Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Germ theory
The proposition that infectious diseases are caused by microorganisms. The theory that diseases are caused by minute living organisms germs that attack the body’s normal functioning. In the 19th century, Louis Pasteur showed that fermentation and putrefaction are caused by airborne microorganisms. Joseph Lister (1827-1912) in the 1860s used carbolic acid to keep airborne microorganisms…
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Five elements theory
A fundamental premise in traditional Chinese medicine and some branches of alternative medicine that holds that illness results from imbalances in these elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. A similar concept in ancient Western and medieval medicine held that diseases resulted from imbalances in four elements: earth, air, fire, and water.
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Clonal selection theory of immunity
The theory that precursor cell lines for lymphocytes are made up of innumerable clones with identical antigen receptors. The clones capable of reacting with “self’ components (i.e., the individual’s own cells) are eliminated or suppressed in the prenatal period. Those clones not eliminated or suppressed react only with specific foreign antigens that fit their receptors,…
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Atomic theory
The theory that all matter is composed of atoms. The concept of an atom entails a central nucleus with a significant positive charge and substantial mass, surrounded by electrons orbiting at a relatively large distance from the nucleus.
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Theory of aging
Any coherent set of concepts that explains the aging process at the cellular, biological, psychological, and sociological levels.
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Activity theory
A social theory of aging that asserts that the more active older persons are, the higher their life satisfaction and morale. According to this theory, individuals who are aging successfully cultivate substitutes for former societal roles that they may have had to relinquish.
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Theorem
A proposition that can be proved by use of logic, or by argument, from information previously accepted as being valid.
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Theomania
Religious insanity; especially that in which the patient thinks he or she is a deity or has divine inspiration.
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Thenar fascia
A thin membrane covering the short muscles of the thumb.
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Thenar cleft
A fascial cleft of the palm overlying the volar surface of the adductor pollicis muscle.
Got any book recommendations?