Category: E

Determination of the temperature of the tympanic membrane by use of a device for rapidly sensing infrared radiation from the membrane. Commercially available devices do this in 3 sec. The convenience of assessing body temperature using this method is obvious, but if the probe is left in the ear canal for more than a few…

Eating of clay or dirt, sometimes by children as a form of pica.  

The soil on the surface of the planet earth.  

A device for preventing sound from entering the ear by occluding the external auditory canal.  

Methods to facilitate the return of hospitalized patients to lower levels of care, including nursing care facilities, foster care, or home. Early supported discharge optimizes the management of patient length-of-stay, relieves caregiver stress, and empowers patients to return to higher levels of functioning.  

The soft bottom edge of the outer ear containing no cartilage.  

A medication in liquid form for instillation into the external ear canal, usually to treat infections or loosen cerumen.  

An alternative medicine practice in which a cone of waxed paper is placed in the patient’s external auditory canal and then set on fire. It is promoted as a treatment for cerumen impaction and for removal of unspecified toxins from the body. The practice is dangerous; it occasionally results in bums or perforation of the…

Recurrent hemorrhage into the retina and vitreous, most commonly seen in men in the second and third decades of life. The cause is unknown. An uncommon medical condition primarily observed in young males is marked by inflammation of the retinal veins and recurrent vitreous hemorrhage, wherein blood leaks into the vitreous humor, the gel-like substance…

Difficult breathing associated with obstructive lung diseases such as asthma or chronic bronchitis. Wheezing is often present.