Medicine, PFI-SED
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
Pfizer Inc. is one of the world’s largest research-based pharmaceutical and biomedical companies, known for developing,......
pharmaceutical, substance used in the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of disease and for restoring, correcting,......
pharmacology, branch of medicine that deals with the interaction of drugs with the systems and processes of living......
pharmacopoeia, book published by a government, or otherwise under official sanction, to provide standards of strength......
pharmacy, the science and art concerned with the preparation and standardization of drugs. Its scope includes the......
pharming, the generation of pharmaceuticals using animals or plants that have been genetically engineered. Pharming......
phenobarbital, barbiturate drug that became available in 1912, used in medicine as a sedative-hypnotic. See...
phenolsulfonphthalein test, clinical procedure for the estimation of overall blood flow through the kidney; the......
phenothiazine, widely used anthelmintic (worming agent) in veterinary medicine. Phenothiazine is an organic compound......
phentermine, drug used in the treatment of obesity. Phentermine is the most commonly prescribed drug for weight......
Royal Philips (formerly Philips Electronics) is a major Dutch manufacturer of consumer electronics, electronic......
phonocardiography, diagnostic technique that creates a graphic record, or phonocardiogram, of the sounds and murmurs......
photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), common surgical method that reshapes the cornea (the transparent membrane covering......
physical medicine and rehabilitation, medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention......
physical therapy, health profession that aims to improve movement and mobility in persons with compromised physical......
phytotherapy, the use of plant-derived medications in the treatment and prevention of disease. Phytotherapy is......
piperazine, anthelmintic drug used in the treatment of intestinal roundworm infection in humans and domestic animals......
placebo, an inert, or dummy, drug. Placebos are sometimes prescribed for maladies with no known scientific treatment......
placebo effect, psychological or psychophysiological improvement attributed to therapy with an inert substance......
plague doctor, physician contracted by a government to tend to patients infected with plague during an epidemic,......
plastic surgery, the functional, structural, and aesthetic restoration of all manner of defects and deformities......
pneumatism, in medicine, Alexandrian medical school, or sect, based on the theory that life is associated with......
pneumoencephalography, technique of diagnostic radiology that produces X-ray films of the head after injection......
podiatry, medical specialty dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and disorders of the human foot.......
polio vaccine, preparation of poliovirus given to prevent polio, an infectious disease of the nervous system. The......
polymerase chain reaction ( PCR), a technique used to make numerous copies of a specific segment of DNA quickly......
polymyxin, any of five polypeptide antibiotics derived from various species of soil bacterium in the genus Bacillus......
polyuria, daily output of an excessive amount of urine. In humans, polyuria involves the output of more than three......
positron emission tomography (PET), imaging technique used in diagnosis and biomedical research. It has proved......
pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), medication taken prior to having unprotected sex or sharing needles that helps......
preconception testing, any of several screening and diagnostic procedures that provide information about the health......
pregnancy test, procedure aimed at determining whether a woman is pregnant. Pregnancy tests are based on a detectable......
preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), the testing of embryos produced through in vitro fertilization (IVF) for......
prenatal testing, any of several screening and diagnostic procedures that provide information on the health of......
On May 16, 1997, in the East Room of the White House, President Bill Clinton issued a formal apology for the Tuskegee......
preventive medicine, efforts directed toward the prevention of disease, either in the individual or in the community......
primaquine, synthetic drug used in the treatment of malaria, an infection caused by the protozoan parasite Plasmodium......
probenecid, drug used in the treatment of chronic gout, a disorder that is characterized by recurrent acute attacks......
procaine hydrochloride, synthetic organic compound used in medicine as a local anesthetic. Introduced in 1905 under......
progesterone, hormone secreted by the female reproductive system that functions mainly to regulate the condition......
ProMED-mail, global Internet-driven reporting network used to warn of potential outbreaks of infectious disease......
promethazine, synthetic drug used to counteract the histamine reaction, as in allergies. Promethazine, introduced......
Prontosil, trade name of the first synthetic drug used in the treatment of general bacterial infections in humans.......
propofol, anesthetic drug used to induce and maintain general anesthesia and to sedate patients for certain medical......
prosthesis, artificial substitute for a missing part of the body. The artificial parts that are most commonly thought......
prosthodontics, dental specialty concerned with restoration and maintenance of oral function, appearance, and comfort......
protease inhibitor, class of antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV retrovirus infection in AIDS patients. Protease......
protein-bound iodine test, laboratory test that indirectly assesses thyroid function by measuring the concentration......
proteinuria, presence of protein in the urine, usually as albumin. Protein is not normally found in the urine of......
proton pump inhibitor, any drug that suppresses the secretion of gastric acid by inhibiting an enzyme in the parietal......
Prozac, trade name of fluoxetine hydrochloride, first of the class of antidepressant medications called selective......
psilocin, hallucinogenic principle contained in any of various psilocybin mushrooms, notably the two Mexican species......
psilocybin, hallucinogenic principle that occurs in any of various psilocybin mushrooms, including the two Mexican......
psychedelic drug, any of the so-called mind-expanding drugs that are able to induce states of altered perception......
psychiatry, the science and practice of diagnosing, treating, and preventing mental disorders. The term psychiatry......
psychoanalysis, method of treating mental disorders, shaped by psychoanalytic theory, which emphasizes unconscious......
psychodrama, group psychotherapeutic technique in which patients more or less spontaneously dramatize their personal......
psychopharmacology, the development, study, and use of drugs for the modification of behaviour and the alleviation......
psychosurgery, the treatment of psychosis or other mental disorders by means of brain surgery. The first such technique......
psychotherapy, any form of treatment for psychological, emotional, or behaviour disorders in which a trained person......
psychotropic drug, in pharmacology, any agent that induces changes in awareness, behaviour, mood, perception, or......
puberty blocker, medication that temporarily stops the actions of hormones responsible for physical changes that......
public health, the art and science of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental health,......
public health dentistry, dental specialty concerned primarily with prevention of dental decay and of periodontal......
pulmonary function test, procedure used to measure various aspects of the working capacity and efficiency of the......
pulse, rhythmic dilation of an artery generated by the opening and closing of the aortic valve in the heart. A......
qi, in Chinese philosophy, medicine, and religion, the psychophysical energies that permeate the universe. Early......
quarantine, the separation and restriction of travel of humans or other animals that may have come into contact......
quinidine, drug used in the treatment of abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmia) and malaria. Obtained from the bark......
quinine, drug obtained from cinchona bark that is used chiefly in the treatment of malaria, an infection caused......
radial keratotomy (RK), a surgical procedure to correct nearsightedness (myopia). The technique was first developed......
radiation therapy, the use of ionizing radiation (high-energy radiation that displaces electrons from atoms and......
radiology, branch of medicine using radiation for the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Radiology originally......
rapamycin, drug characterized primarily by its ability to suppress the immune system, which led to its use in the......
recombinant DNA, a segment of DNA that is generated by combining genetic material from at least two different species.......
recreation therapy, use of recreation by qualified professionals (recreation therapists) to promote independent......
regenerative medicine, the application of treatments developed to replace tissues damaged by injury or disease.......
rehabilitation robot, any automatically operated machine that is designed to improve movement in persons with impaired......
rehabilitation, medical and vocational, use of medical and vocational techniques to enable a sick or handicapped......
Reiki, spiritual healing technique and form of alternative medicine first developed and popularized in early 20th-century......
remdesivir, antiviral drug that is active against SARS-CoV-2, the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).......
reserpine, drug derived from the roots of certain species of the tropical plant Rauwolfia. The powdered whole root......
respiratory therapy, medical profession primarily concerned with assisting respiratory function of individuals......
Rhône-Poulenc SA, former French chemical manufacturer and leading producer of organic chemicals, synthetic fibres,......
rimantadine, drug used to treat infections caused by influenza type A virus, the most common cause of influenza......
risperidone, antipsychotic drug used primarily in the treatment of schizophrenia but also in managing manic or......
Ritalin, a mild form of amphetamine used in the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a......
robotic surgery, in medicine, the use of machines guided by doctors to perform surgical procedures. The word robot......
RU-486, first trade name for mifepristone, a synthetic steroid drug prescribed for inducing abortion during the......
Rubin’s test, diagnostic method for determining whether the fallopian tubes in the human female are occluded. (The......
Sackler family, American family, owner of the pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma. Although the family is well......
safe injection site, medically supervised facility where individuals may use pre-obtained illicit injectable drugs......
safe sex, practices that reduce the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, especially AIDS, during......
Saint Bartholomew’s Hospital, oldest hospital in London. It lies just southeast of the Central Markets in the Smithfield......
sangoma, highly respected healer among the Zulu people of South Africa who diagnoses, prescribes, and often performs......
Sanofi-Aventis, French pharmaceutical company founded in 2004 through the merger of Sanofi-Synthélabo SA and a......
Schick test, method for determining susceptibility to diphtheria; it laid the basis for inoculation against the......
scopolamine, alkaloid drug obtained from a number of plants of the family Solenaceae, including nightshade, henbane,......
Scottish Enlightenment, the conjunction of minds, ideas, and publications in Scotland during the whole of the second......
sedative-hypnotic drug, chemical substance used to reduce tension and anxiety and induce calm (sedative effect)......