Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

A long thin animal with no legs or backbone, which can infest the human body, especially the intestines. Any member of several groups of soft bodied legless animals, including flatworms, nematode worms, earthworms, and leeches, that were formerly thought to be closely related and classified as a single group (Vermes). An elongated invertebrate belonging to…

An organisation, part of the United Nations, which aims to improve health in the world. A specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1948 to serve as the directing and coordinating authority in international health; also known as WHO. According to the WHO constitution, the organization’s objective is to help all people achieve the…

A form of anthrax which affects the lungs. A pulmonary form of anthrax that develops in those who handle wool contaminated with Bacillus anthracis.  

An ultraviolet lamp which allows a doctor to see fluorescence , e.g. in the hair of someone who has a fungal infection [After Robert Williams Wood (1868-1955), US physicist]. A unique luminary device employing ultraviolet light to identify specific categories of skin infections and infestations was introduced in 1903 by Robert Wood, a renowned physicist.…

A ward or hospital for female patients.  

A condition within the heart’s conducting tissue which makes the heart beat dangerously fast. It can be fatal. Episodes of rapid heart rate caused by an extra, abnormal electrical conduction pathway between the upper and lower parts of the heart; also known as pre-excitation syndrome. In a healthy heart, the electrical signals that trigger a…

One of the four teeth in the back of the jaw which only appear at about the age of 20 and sometimes do not appear at all. The four large third molars, the last of the adult set of permanent teeth to appear, generally around ages 17 to 21. Sometimes these teeth never erupt at…

A network of wires. A neurological or physiological structure or process which controls a function in the body. The act of fixing a piece of bone in place using wires.  

A small opening in the ear. An aperture for the admission of light or air or both. An approach employed to evaluate the characteristic traits exhibited by a specific botanical specimen. The phrase employed in the context of intermittent fasting to denote the temporal interval wherein the consumption of food is permissible is commonly referred…