Medicine, EUN-IBO
Humans have long sought to find cures for the ailments and injuries that befall them. This has led to a long history of diverse attempted treatments, including herbal remedies, leeching, hydrotherapy, acupuncture, homeopathy, and more, all the way up to the most recent science-based treatments that have come into use during the development of today's modern medicine. Medical research and the study of the causes of disease have led to rapid and significant advances in medicine, improving both the efficacy of treatments and our understanding of illnesses and how they operate. The importance of preventive medicine has grown, and the field of medicine has become increasingly specialized as medical disciplines and branches such as endocrinology, immunology, psychiatry, radiology, epidemiology, and nanomedicine have emerged.
Medicine Encyclopedia Articles By Title
eunuch, castrated human male. From remote antiquity, eunuchs were employed in the Middle East and in China in two......
evidence-based medicine, approach to patient care in which decisions about the diagnosis and management of the......
exploratory surgery, manual and instrumental means of investigating an area of the body suspected of disease when......
exposure therapy, any of various approaches used to help reduce fear and anxiety that cause individuals to avoid......
eye movement and desensitization reprocessing therapy (EMDR), psychotherapy technique using visual bilateral stimulation—such......
eyeglasses, lenses set in frames for wearing in front of the eyes to aid vision or to correct such defects of vision......
family practice, field of medicine that stresses comprehensive primary health care, regardless of the age or sex......
family therapy, type of group psychotherapy (or talk therapy) designed to improve relationships among family members......
fecal occult blood test, method used to analyze feces for the purpose of diagnosing a disease or disorder in humans......
female genital cutting (FGC), ritual surgical procedure that is traditional in some societies. FGC has been practiced......
fentanyl, synthetic narcotic analgesic drug, the most potent narcotic in clinical use (50 to 100 times more potent......
fever, abnormally high body temperature. Fever is a characteristic of many different diseases. For example, although......
fibrinolytic drug, any agent that is capable of stimulating the dissolution of a blood clot (thrombus). Fibrinolytic......
flunitrazepam, benzodiazepine drug known for its sedative, hypnotic, and anxiolytic (antianxiety) properties and......
fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), technique that employs fluorescent probes for the detection of specific......
flying doctor service, method for supplying medical service by airplane to areas where doctors are few and communications......
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), agency of the U.S. federal government authorized by Congress to inspect, test,......
food insecurity, the limited or uncertain access to nutritious food, which also includes limitations on the ability......
forensic medicine, the science that deals with the application of medical knowledge to legal questions. The use......
forensic psychology, Application of psychology to legal issues, often for the purpose of offering expert testimony......
four sacred medicines, group of plants—specifically cedar (Thuja occidentalis or T. plicata), sage (genus Artemisia......
Framingham Heart Study, long-term research project developed to identify risk factors of cardiovascular disease,......
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), neuroimaging technique used in biomedical research and in diagnosis......
functional measurement, the processes by which medical professionals evaluate disability and determine the need......
gamma globulin, subgroup of the blood proteins called globulins. In humans and many of the other mammals, antibodies,......
Gardasil, trade name of human papillomavirus (HPV) quadrivalent (types 6, 11, 16, and 18) vaccine, recombinant,......
gastrectomy, surgical removal of all or part of the stomach. This procedure is used to remove both benign and malignant......
gastric fluid analysis, medical procedure used to examine the secretions and other liquid substances occurring......
gastroenterology, medical specialty concerned with the digestive system and its diseases. Gastroenterologists diagnose......
Gates Foundation, private philanthropic foundation established in 2000 by Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates and his......
gender-affirming hormone therapy, medical treatment that uses hormones to help transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive......
gender-affirming surgery, medical procedure in which the physical sex characteristics of an individual are modified.......
gene editing, the ability to make highly specific changes in the DNA sequence of a living organism, essentially......
gene therapy, introduction of a normal gene into an individual’s genome in order to repair a mutation that causes......
generic drug, therapeutic substance that is equivalent to a brand-name drug with respect to its intended use, its......
genetic counseling, in medicine, process of communication in which a specially trained professional meets with......
genetic engineering, the artificial manipulation, modification, and recombination of DNA or other nucleic acid......
genetic epidemiology, the study of how genes and environmental factors influence human traits and human health......
genetic testing, any of a group of procedures used to identify gene variations associated with health, disease,......
genetically modified organism (GMO), organism whose genome has been engineered in the laboratory in order to favour......
germ theory, in medicine, the theory that certain diseases are caused by the invasion of the body by microorganisms,......
gerontology and geriatrics, scientific and medical disciplines, respectively, that are concerned with all aspects......
Gestalt therapy, a humanistic method of psychotherapy that takes a holistic approach to human experience by stressing......
givinostat, drug used to help slow the advance of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a genetic condition characterized......
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), British-based pharmaceutical company with research-and-development centres in the United......
global food security, the availability of and access to resources in sufficient quantities to achieve adequate......
Global Health Council, global nonprofit alliance devoted to improving health around the world. It comprises corporations,......
glucose tolerance test, procedure to assess the ability of the body to metabolize glucose, the principal type of......
goggles, any of a variety of protective eyewear set in a flexible frame that sits snugly against the face. Goggles......
griseofulvin, drug produced by the molds Penicillium griseofulvum and P. janczewski and used in the treatment of......
group therapy, the use of group discussion and other group activities in treatment of psychological disorders.......
Guatemala syphilis experiment, American medical research project that lasted from 1946 to 1948 and is known for......
gynecological examination, procedures aimed at assessing the health of a woman’s reproductive system. The general......
H2 receptor antagonist, any agent that blocks histamine-induced secretion of gastric acid in the stomach. These......
hallucinogen, substance that produces psychological effects that tend to be associated with phenomena such as dreams......
halothane, nonflammable, volatile, liquid drug introduced into medicine in the 1950s and used as a general anesthetic.......
hand sanitizer, agent applied to the hands for the purpose of removing common pathogens (disease-causing organisms).1,2......
harmine, hallucinogenic alkaloid found in the seed coats of a plant (Peganum harmala) of the Mediterranean region......
hashish, hallucinogenic drug preparation derived from the resin secreted by the flowering tops of cultivated female......
health, in humans, the extent of an individual’s continuing physical, emotional, mental, and social ability to......
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), executive division of the U.S. federal government tasked with......
health maintenance organization (HMO), organization, either public or private, that provides comprehensive medical......
hearing aid, device that increases the loudness of sounds in the ear of the wearer. The earliest aid was the ear......
heart murmur, condition characterized by prolonged noises made by blood circulating through the heart. A heart......
heart transplant, medical procedure involving the removal of a diseased heart from a patient and its replacement......
heart–lung machine, a type of artificial heart...
Heimlich maneuver, emergency procedure that is used to dislodge foreign bodies from the throats of choking victims.......
hematocrit, diagnostic procedure for the analysis of blood. The name is also used for the apparatus in which this......
hematology, branch of medical science concerned with the nature, function, and diseases of the blood. In the 17th......
hematuria, presence of blood in the urine, an indication of injury or disease of the kidney or some other structure......
heparin, anticoagulant drug that is used to prevent blood clots from forming during and after surgery and to treat......
herbal, ancient manual facilitating the identification of plants for medicinal purposes. Hundreds of medicinal......
heroin, highly addictive morphine derivative that makes up a large portion of the illicit traffic in narcotics.......
Hippocratic oath, ethical code attributed to the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, adopted as a guide to conduct......
Hoechst Aktiengesellschaft, former German chemical concern founded in 1863 in the Höchst quarter of Frankfurt am......
holistic medicine, a doctrine of preventive and therapeutic medicine that emphasizes the necessity of looking at......
home care, health and social services provided to an ill or disabled person in the home that are intended to improve......
homeopathy, a system of therapeutics, notably popular in the 19th century, which was founded on the stated principle......
hormone replacement therapy (HRT), estrogen or a combination of estrogen and progesterone given to restore concentrations......
hospice, a home or hospital established to relieve the physical and emotional suffering of the dying. The term......
hospital, an institution that is built, staffed, and equipped for the diagnosis of disease; for the treatment,......
Hospitallers, a religious military order that was founded at Jerusalem in the 11th century and that, headquartered......
Antacids containing substances such as sodium bicarbonate, magnesium hydroxide, or calcium carbonate fundamentally......
Birth control pills are among the most popular methods of preventing pregnancy. In the United States alone, between......
Face masks have long been used in health care, often for the simple reason that they protect doctors and nurses......
Vaccines work by imitating infection to encourage the body to produce antibodies against infectious agents. In......
Mechanical ventilators have played an important, if controversial, role in the treatment of patients with severe......
Vaccines play an essential role in disease prevention, helping minimize the spread of contagious illness and saving......
BMI stands for “body mass index” and is an estimate of total body fat. BMI does not measure body fat directly,......
Today lobotomy is a horror story. Less than a century ago it was a revolutionary “fix” for misunderstood mental......
Radioactive isotopes, or radioisotopes, are species of chemical elements that are produced through the natural......
human-factors engineering, science dealing with the application of information on physical and psychological characteristics......
hydropathy, therapeutic system that professes to cure all disease with water, either by bathing in it or by drinking......
hydrotherapy, external use of water in the medical treatment of disease and injury. Its primary value is as a medium......
hygiene, the science of preserving health. The subject embraces all agencies affecting the physical and mental......
hyperbaric chamber, sealed chamber in which a high-pressure environment is used primarily to treat decompression......
hyperventilation, sustained abnormal increase in breathing. During hyperventilation the rate of removal of carbon......
hypolipidemic drug, any agent the reduces the level of lipids and lipoproteins (lipid-protein complexes) in the......
hysterectomy, surgical removal of the complete uterus (total hysterectomy) or of the complete uterus except for......
ibogaine, hallucinogenic drug and the principal iboga alkaloid, found in the stems, leaves, and especially in the......