Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Foods for which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established basic standards for ingredients if the name (such as ketchup or mayonnaise) is to be used.  

A federally subsidized loan program under which banks, credit unions, other financial institutions, and sometimes schools lend money to undergraduate and graduate college students who have no previous federally subsidized loans; formerly called Guaranteed Student Loans (GSL). Amounts available (as of 1990) vary: up to $2,625 a year for the first two years of undergraduate…

Laboratory analysis of the mucous material in the air passages, called sputum or phlegm, which is increased by infection, allergies, and asthma. The amount, color, and makeup of sputum is an aid to diagnosis of lung and breathing disorder, such as tuberculosis.  

Alternate term for so-called solid foods fed to infants from about six months of age.  

Popular term for the backflow of food and fluids from a baby’s stomach.  

A type of curriculum in which a set of courses are taught over several years, each time with greater depth and detail.  

Alternate name for Niemann-Pick disease, a type of lipid storage disease.  

Production of speech by a computer from words typed into the computer, usually by a person who has ear and hearing problems or speech problems.  

A technique for understanding spoken language through visual clues, such as the position of the jaw, lips, and tongue. Commonly used by people who have ear and hearing problems, speechreading requires considerable training to learn and even then has limited effectiveness alone, because less than half of the common words in spoken English can be…

General type of medical test that involves taking samples of urine, blood, saliva, stool, and other fluids, waste, and tissue from the body for analysis. The characteristics of normal body substances are well known, so laboratory analysis can indicate if the patient’s sample is markedly different from the norm and, if so, in what ways.…