Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Pertaining to the tail of an animal, cephalic. To the lower part; inferior in position. General directional term pertaining to the tail-end or distal portion of any structure. A term that usually refers to a position toward the end of the spine; literally means “of the tail.” The term commonly employed to denote the lower…

Inflammation of the mucous membranes in the nose and throat, creating an excessive amount of mucus. Simple inflammation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. Also called chronic rhinitis. If it occurs in the pollen season, it is called hay fever. The excessive secretion of thick phlegm or mucus by the mucous membrane of…

An acronym for computer-assisted telephone interview. A device used by ATSDR q.v. interviews to administer the core questionnaire to people who will participate in a registry.  

In psychology, a therapeutic procedure introduced by Breuer in the late nineteenth century whereby a person recalls and relives an earlier emotional catastrophe and reexperiences the tension and unhappiness: catharsis.  

In sexology, a theory that holds that pornography acts as a safety valve for people’s unexpressed sexual feelings, modeling theory; null theory. A discredited theory of anger management based on the concept that to reduce anger one should ventilate it periodically.  

A neuropsychological test that assesses abstract concept formation as well as the ability to use positive and negative feedback in solving complex problems. One of the neuropsychological tests of abstract thinking; it assesses a patient’s ability to learn strategies for sorting objects into related groups.  

In epidemiology, a variable created by collapsing a larger number of values into a few categories, or one that by its nature is not suited to a long continuum of possible values.  

A scale that divides responses into categories that are numerically related, interval scale; ratio scale.  

Programs concerned with only a part of the population or health system. Originally, a health program which concerned itself with research, education, control of treatment of only one or a few specific diseases. Now more generally used for a program concerned with only a part, instead of all, of the population or health system. Even…

The process of teaching about health by means of a particular content area. A school curriculum may offer instruction on such topics as disease prevention, physical fitness, sex education, and so forth with each unit standing alone as an educational experience.