AIDS : Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome. A disease which results
in the total breakdown of the body's immune system, it is
caused by acts of
homosexuality and heterosexuality. It is likely to emerge as
the largest
killer by the end of this century. No effective treatment
has so been found
except ATZ, which is quite expensive and still unreliable.
Allergy : A condition in which a person is sensitive or
susceptible to the
effects of any drug or an article. Hay fever, asthma,
eczema : are allergic
diseases.
Anaemia : Bloodlessness due to lack of red blood corpuscles
or of hemoglobin, a condition in which person becomes pale in colour and weak
in health.
Anaesthetic : A kind of drug which produces temporary
insensibility to
touch and pain, with or without the loss of consciousness.
The best known
anaesthetic is chloroform.
Analgesic : A drug which relieves pain, e.g. aspirin.
Antacid : A drug which counteracts acidity in the stomach.
Antibiotics : This is a name given to a series of drugs like
penicillin and
streptomycin; these are preparations from moulds or
mould-like organisms which destroy bacteria and prevent
their growth. Their use has
revolutionised medicinal effect.
Antibody : Specific substances produced in the blood, as a
reaction to
antigen.
Antidote : A remedy for counteracting poison.
Antiseptic : A drug which destroys germs, e.g., dettol,
carbolic acid.
Anti-toxin : A substance produced by the blood to counteract
the effect
of a poison or infection.
Appendicitis : This disease is caused by the inflammation of
the appendix which results in general feeling of uneasiness and pain
in the upper part
of abdomen.
Aspirin : To relieve pain; it is safe and widely used for the
relief of
headache, rheumatic aches and pains.
Asthma : A disease marked by the difficulty in breathing due
to spasm
of the bronchial muscles.
Astigmatism : A defect in the eyesight, when one cannot
distinguish
between vertical and horizontal lines; it can be rectified
by cylindrical
lenses.
Autopsy : A post-mortem examination of a body.
Bacillus : A rod-shaped micro-organism. For example, tubercle
bacillus
causes tuberculosis.
Bacteria : Germs not visible to naked eye causing several
types of
diseases.
Beri-Beri : A vitamin B deficiency disease marked by
muscular atrophy.
It causes numbness of arms and legs and swelling of the feet
and arms.
Eating of polished rice can cause it.
Bladder : A membranous body situated in the front part of
pelvis cavity,
which acts as a reservoir of urine.
Blood Bank : The store house of blood to be administered in
cases of
emergency.
Blood Groups : Human blood has been classified into four
groups A, B,
AB, and O. In administering blood from one person to
another, one has to
be careful to administer blood of the same group, otherwise
it would prove
fatal. Group 0 is universal donor and it can be given to
anybody. Similarly Group AB is universal receiver.
Blood Pressure : It is the pressure exerted by blood against
the blood
vessels; chronic anxiety, perpetual worry and kidney
troubles cause high
blood pressure. Low blood pressure results in fainting
attacks.
Blood Transfusion : Transferring the blood from one person to
another
in case of loss of blood due to accident or at child-birth,
and also in case of
anaemic children.
Cardiograph : An instrument for recording the movements of heart.
Cataract : Clouding of the lens of the eye, which prevents
clear vision,
mostly cured with an operation.
Chicken-pox : A very infectious disease. It is caused by a
virus occurring commonly inchildren. One attack usually gives life-long
immunity.
Chromosomes : The bodies contained within the nucleus of
every animal
or plant cell each containing several hundreds of the
hereditary factors
called genes. When the cell splits each chromosome splits up
Into an
identical complement of genes.
Cholera : An acute bacterial infection characterised by
severe vomiting
and .passing of loose motions frequently, drying of the
tissues and painful
cramps. It spreads by infected food and water.
Chronic : A chronic disease is one which is prolonged and
relatively mild
as opposed to an acute one, which is short and severe.
Cinchona : The tree, native to South America, from whose bark quinine
is derived.
Colds : This is a highly infectious disease and is caused by
a virus. It
results in bad throat, headache and watery nose.
Colic : Severe pain in the abdomen, caused by spasm of the
internal
organs, usually the intestines.
Colour Blindness : Sometimes the vision is quite normal but
the patient
is not able to distinguish between colours; the most common
being the lack
of distinction between red and green.
Coma : Complete loss of consciousness.
Deficiency Disease : A disease which is caused by the lack of
a certain
ingredient in the diet, usually applied to lack of vitamins or
fat in foodstuffs
such as beri-beri, rickets and scurvy.
Diabetes : It is caused by the inability of the body to make
use of sugar
in the food, consequently this sugar accumulates in the
blood, and is finally
passed out in the urine.
Diarrhoea : Loose stools due to many causes.
Diphtheria : An acute infectious disease caused by the
growth of a
membrane in the throat. It may result in death, since
breathing is stopped.
Dysentery : Passing of stools with blood and mucus.
