Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Impossible to reverse or to be reversed; unchangeable, permanent with no significant chance of improvement, as in irreversible brain damage from a stroke.  

Not able to be returned to normal, as an irreducible hernia. Unable to be replaced in a normal position: applied particularly to a type of hernia. Not capable of being reduced or made smaller, as a fracture or dislocation. Unable to be returned to its original position. A hernia that can’t be pushed back into…

Large, cylindrical device formerly used as a means of providing artificial respiration for victims of disease (especially poliomyelitis). The patient’s body, from the neck down, was placed into the chamber, and vacuum suction used to facilitate breathing. An iron lung was a sizable device used historically to assist with breathing, particularly for those paralyzed by…

Swelling of the iris of the eye.  

Inflammation of the iris and cornea of the eye.  

Inhaled bronchodilator, similar to atropine, that is effective in the long-term treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Although it has been used also to treat asthma, it does not seem to work as well in this disease. An anticholinergic bronchodilator used for bronchoconstriction associated with chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and emphysema. It…

Photosensitive chemical in the cones of the retina that plays a part in color vision. In cones of the retina, the photopsin molecule and retinal, the functional photopigment.  

Entry of a foreign substance into a blood vessel. Passage into the blood vessels of matter formed outside of them through traumatic or pathological lesions.  

Aneurysm of a cranial artery. Symptoms include headache, stiff neck, nausea, and sometimes loss of consciousness; rupture of the aneurysm is a serious, often fatal, condition. An anomalous widening of an artery that occurs within the confines of the cranium (the skull’s bony structure). Intracranial aneurysms might not manifest any symptoms initially. Nevertheless, they have…

Inflammation of the stomach and intestine caused by a virus; symptoms include abdominal discomfort, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.