Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

The movement of separate segments of the wall of the intestine to mix digestive juice with the food before it is passed along by the action of peristalsis. The intricate process of the gastrointestinal system involves various movements to digest food. One such movement is the peristaltic action, which occurs in the small intestine. This…

Air passages supplying a segment of a lung.  

A surgical operation to remove part of a nail, e.g. treatment for an ingrowing toenail.  

Formed of segments.  

The rate at which solid particles are deposited from a solution, measured especially in a centrifuge. A nonspecific laboratory test used as a marker of inflammation. In this test, the speed at which erythrocytes settle out of unclotted blood is measured. Blood to which an anticoagulant has been added is placed in a long, narrow…

A job where the workers sit down for most of the time.  

The act of calming someone using a sedative. Induced state of reduced activity and excitability; a state of calm and quiet, sometimes with sleep. The use of a drug to calm and relax a patient. Sedation is used to control excessive anxiety and aggressive behavior. It is also sometimes used as a premedication for a…

To calm a person by giving them a drug which acts on the nervous system and relieves stress or pain, and in larger doses makes the person sleep.  

A familiar blanket, toy or other object which a child carries around because it makes him or her feel safe.  

A UK law under which a local authority has the power to seek an order from a magistrate’s court authorising the removal of a person at severe risk from their home. The authority must have a doctor’s certificate that the person is either suffering from a grave and chronic disease or is unable to look…