Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

An antiseptic with a wide range of antibacterial activity, used to treat infections and inflammation of the urinary tract, such as cystitis. High doses may cause irritation of the stomach or bladder. A substance which, when excreted by the kidneys, releases formaldehyde which has an antiseptic action. It is given to patients with recurrent cystitis.…

The ability to distinguish only six of the seven colors of the spectrum, the exception being indigo. Most people cannot distinguish indigo from blue or violet.  

The grafting of tissue from an animal of one species to another. The surgical process of relocating skin, tissue, or organs from one person to another.  

An infestation of the small intestine with the parasitic fluke Heterophyes beterophyes. Man becomes infected on eating raw or salted fish that contains the larval stage of the fluke. The presence of adult flukes may provoke symptoms of abdominal pain and diarrhea; if the eggs reach the brain, spinal cord, and heart (via the bloodstream)…

A genus of small parasitic flukes occurring in Egypt and the Far East. Adult flukes of the species H. heterophyes live in the small intestine of man and other fish-eating animals; in man the flukes can produce serious symptoms. The fluke has two intermediate hosts, a snail and a mullet fish. A genus of flukes…

A barbiturate administered by mouth to treat insomnia. A common side-effect is drowsiness, and prolonged use can lead to dependence.  

A condition in which brain function is impaired by the presence of toxic substances, absorbed from the colon, which are normally removed or detoxified by the liver. It occurs when the liver is severely damaged (as in cirrhosis) or bypassed. Symptoms include drowsiness, confusion, difficulty in performing tasks (e.g. writing), and coma. Treatment consists of…

The SI unit of inductance, equal to the inductance of a closed circuit with a magnetic flux of 1 weber per ampere of current.  

An iron-containing pigment present in the organisms that cause malaria.  

The cell from which all classes of blood cells are derived. It cannot be identified microscopically, although some workers believe that it is identical in appearance with a lymphocyte. It can be demonstrated by tissue culture of the blood-forming tissue of the bone marrow, as well as in certain other sites.