Category: C

A bone of the wrist. It articulates with the scaphoid and lunate bones behind and with the third metacarpal bone in front.  

The active principle of cantharides, or Spanish fly (the dried bodies of a blister beetle, Cantharis vesicatoria). A toxic and irritant chemical, cantharidin causes blistering of the skin and was formerly used in veterinary medicine as a counterirritant and vesicant. If swallowed it causes nausea, vomiting, and inflammation of the urinary tract, the latter giving…

A fungicide produced by Streptomyces griseus and used to treat candidiasis, particularly of the vagina.  

Congenital inward bending of a finger, most commonly the little finger.  

A method of assessing the central part of the visual field. The patient looks steadily with one eye at a target in the center of a black screen two meters away. A small object on the end of a black rod is moved onto the screen and the patient tells the examiner when he sees…

One of the classical signs of inflammation in a tissue, the other three being rubor (redness), dolor (pain), and tumor (swelling). An inflamed region has a higher temperature than normal because of the distended blood vessels, which allow an increased flow of blood.  

Pneumoconiosis in marble cutters. The term is not in current use. Calcicosis is a traditional term applied to disease of the lung caused by the inhalation of marble dust by marble-cutters. Pneumoconiosis caused by inhaling dust from limestone (marble).  

A disorder of the sense of smell in which scents that are inoffensive to most people are objectionable to the sufferer or in which a bad smell seems to be perpetually present. The disorder is usually due to damage to pathways within the brain rather than in the nose or olfactory nerve.  

Immunizations that protect children from a number of serious and contagious infections. Diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), measles, and polio once took the lives of thousands of children each year. Now regular vaccinations have virtually eradicated these childhood diseases, and they rarely occur in the United States.  

A skin-colored projection made up of hardened keratin, the principal component of skin, hair, and nails. Cutaneous horns most commonly appear on the head or face. Often they accompany actinic keratosis. A hard, horny outgrowth from the skin. It is slow-growing, benign, and may be small or large, 10 to 12 cm, in diameter. A…