Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

A vasodilator hypotensive drug, useful as an adjunct to other treatment for hypertension.  

A chronic inflammatory disease of the apocrine sweat glands. It is more common in women in whom it usually occurs in the armpit than in men, in whom it is most common in the perineum of the drivers of lorries and taxis. It occurs in the form of painful, tender lumps underneath the skin, which…

A form of alveolitis caused by contamination of the water used in air-conditioning plants to humidify, or moisten, the air. The breathing of the contaminated air results in infection of the lung, which is characterized by fever, cough, shortness of breath and malaise worse on Mondays and tending to improve during the course of the…

There are now two vaccines available to protect women against developing cervical cancer. They protect against infection with certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV). Both vaccines (Cervarix and Gardasil) protect against HPV types 16 and 18, generally contracted during sexual intercourse and which are responsible for causing around 70-75 per cent of cervical cancer. These…

UK legislation that lays down the framework and rules governing organ transplantation. UK Transplant is a special health authority set up in 1991, responsible for administering the NHS Organ Donor Registry and the Act.  

In simple terms, this is the genetic recipe for making a human being. Genome is a combination of the words gene and chromosome, and a genome is defined as all the genetic material — known as deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA in a cell. Most genes encode sequences of amino acids, the constituents of proteins, thus…

A service provided by a religious denomination, primarily aimed at meeting the spiritual and religious needs of patients in hospitals. In the UK, NHS hospital trusts employ both full-time and part-time chaplains, usually representing the mainline Christian churches (Anglican, Free and Roman Catholic). Their duties vary but involve meeting the specifically religious needs of patients…

Homatropine is an alkaloid derived from atropine, which is used to produce dilatation of the pupil and to paralyse accommodation temporarily for the purpose of examining the interior of the eye. It is used in 1 per cent solution, and its effects last a few hours. A medication employed for the treatment of specific eye…

A hospital unit equipped and staffed to nurse patients who require a high level of technically supported care. Patients are usually moved to such units when they have made satisfactory progress in an intensive therapy unit (ITU) and do not require the one-to-one nursing this provides. Patients who have undergone major surgery are often transferred…

One member of a group of viruses containing DNA which cause latent infections in animals and humans. Viruses from this group cause herpes simplex, herpes zoster (shingles) and chickenpox, and include cytomegalovirus and epstein-barr virus.