Category: B

Intermittent obstruction of a passageway or opening so that the flow of fluid or air is prevented from moving in and out in equal amounts.  

Action that stops or prevents the growth of bacteria without killing them.  

Action that kills bacteria.  

A crystalline compound, C4H4N203, from which phenobarbital and other barbiturates are derived.  

Coordinated accommodation of both eyes jointly.  

A technique by which narrowing or blockage of an artery, vein or a section of the gastrointestinal tract is bypassed using surgery. Arterial blockages — usually caused by atherosclerosis — in the carotid, coronary or iliofemoral arteries are bypassed utilising sections of artery or vein taken from elsewhere in the patient. Tumour growths in the…

Burns are injuries caused by dry heat, scalds by moist heat, but the two are similar in symptoms and treatment. Severe burns are also caused by contact with electric wires, and by the action of acids and other chemicals. The burn caused by chemicals differs from a burn by fire only in the fact that…

A syndrome characterised by a burning sensation in the soles of the feet. It is rare in temperate climes but widespread in India and the Far East. The precise cause is not known, but it is associated with malnutrition; lack of one or more components of the vitamin B complex is the likeliest cause.  

Budgerigar-Fancier’s Lung is a form of extrinsic allergic alveolitis, resulting from sensitization to budgerigars, or parakeets as they are known in North America. Skin tests have revealed sensitization to the birds’ droppings and/or serum. As it is estimated that budgerigars are kept in 5-6 million homes in Britain, current figures suggest that anything up to…

An abnormal communication between the tracheo-bronchial tree and the pleural cavity. Most commonly occurring from breakdown of the bronchial stump following pneumonectomy, it may also be caused by trauma, neoplasia or inflammation. An abnormal opening between the pleural space and an airway in the lung. An anomalous linkage between a respiratory conduit and the pleural…