Medicine, HOM-LOR
Humans have long sought to find cures for the ailments and injuries that befall them. This has led to a long history of diverse attempted treatments, including herbal remedies, leeching, hydrotherapy, acupuncture, homeopathy, and more, all the way up to the most recent science-based treatments that have come into use during the development of today's modern medicine. Medical research and the study of the causes of disease have led to rapid and significant advances in medicine, improving both the efficacy of treatments and our understanding of illnesses and how they operate. The importance of preventive medicine has grown, and the field of medicine has become increasingly specialized as medical disciplines and branches such as endocrinology, immunology, psychiatry, radiology, epidemiology, and nanomedicine have emerged.
Medicine Encyclopedia Articles By Title
homeopathy
homeopathy, a system of therapeutics, notably popular in the 19th century, which was founded on the stated principle......
hospice
hospice, a home or hospital established to relieve the physical and emotional suffering of the dying. The term......
hospital
hospital, an institution that is built, staffed, and equipped for the diagnosis of disease, for the treatment of......
Hospitallers
Hospitallers, a religious military order that was founded at Jerusalem in the 11th century and that, headquartered......
How Do Antacids Work?
Antacids containing substances such as sodium bicarbonate, magnesium hydroxide, or calcium carbonate fundamentally......
How Do Birth Control Pills Work?
Birth control pills are among the most popular methods of preventing pregnancy. In the United States alone, between......
How Do Face Masks Control the Spread of Disease?
Face masks have long been used in health care, often for the simple reason that they protect doctors and nurses......
How Do Fertility Drugs Work?
Fertility drugs for those trying to become pregnant work mainly by stimulating or regulating the hormones involved......
How do smelling salts work?
Smelling salts work by releasing ammonia, which has a pungent and acrid odor that irritates the lining of the nose......
How Do Vaccines Work?
Vaccines work by imitating infection to encourage the body to produce antibodies against infectious agents. In......
How Does A Ventilator Work?
Mechanical ventilators have played an important, if controversial, role in the treatment of patients with severe......
How Easy Is It to Clone Your Pet?
American gridiron great Tom Brady announced the successful cloning of his beloved pet dog, a pit bull mix named......
How Effective Are Flu Shots?
The effectiveness of the flu vaccine changes from year to year but typically falls between 40 and 60 percent, meaning......
How Is a Vaccine Approved for Use?
Vaccines play an essential role in disease prevention, helping minimize the spread of contagious illness and saving......
How Is BMI Calculated?
BMI stands for “body mass index” and is an estimate of total body fat. BMI does not measure body fat directly,......
How Many People Actually Got Lobotomized?
Today lobotomy is a horror story. Less than a century ago it was a revolutionary “fix” for misunderstood mental......
How Radioactive Isotopes are Used in Medicine
Radioactive isotopes, or radioisotopes, are species of chemical elements that are produced through the natural......
human-factors engineering
human-factors engineering, science dealing with the application of information on physical and psychological characteristics......
hydropathy
hydropathy, therapeutic system that professes to cure all disease with water, either by bathing in it or by drinking......
hydrotherapy
hydrotherapy, external use of water in the medical treatment of disease and injury. Its primary value is as a medium......
hygiene
hygiene, the science of preserving health. The subject embraces all agencies affecting the physical and mental......
hyperbaric chamber
hyperbaric chamber, sealed chamber in which a high-pressure environment is used primarily to treat decompression......
hyperventilation
hyperventilation, sustained abnormal increase in breathing. During hyperventilation the rate of removal of carbon......
hypolipidemic drug
hypolipidemic drug, any agent the reduces the level of lipids and lipoproteins (lipid-protein complexes) in the......
hysterectomy
hysterectomy, surgical removal of the complete uterus (total hysterectomy) or of the complete uterus except for......
Ibogaine
Ibogaine, hallucinogenic drug and the principal iboga alkaloid, found in the stems, leaves, and especially in the......
ibuprofen
ibuprofen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used in the treatment of minor pain, fever, and inflammation. Like......
IG Farben
IG Farben, (German: “Syndicate of Dyestuff-Industry Corporations”), world’s largest chemical concern, or cartel,......
imatinib
imatinib, anticancer drug used primarily in the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Imatinib was approved......
imidazole
imidazole, any of a class of organic compounds of the heterocyclic series characterized by a ring structure composed......
imipramine
imipramine, synthetic drug used in the treatment of depression and enuresis (bed-wetting). Introduced into medicine......
immune checkpoint inhibitor
immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI), class of drugs that enhance the ability of the immune system to detect and attack......
immunization
immunization, process by which resistance to disease is acquired or induced in plants and animals. This discussion......
immunologic blood test
immunologic blood test, any of a group of diagnostic analyses of blood that employ antigens (foreign proteins)......
immunology
immunology, the scientific study of the body’s resistance to invasion by other organisms (i.e., immunity). In a......
immunosuppressant
immunosuppressant, any agent in a class of drugs that is capable of inhibiting the immune system. Immunosuppressants......
immunosuppression
immunosuppression, reduction in the ability of the immune system to defend against disease or infection. Immunosuppression......
immunotherapy
immunotherapy, medical treatment in which the body’s own cells or chemicals are used to help the natural immune......
Imperial College London
Imperial College London, institution of higher learning in London. It is one of the leading research colleges or......
in vitro fertilization
in vitro fertilization (IVF), medical procedure in which mature egg cells are removed from a woman, fertilized......
index case
index case, in public health, the first case of a disease or other condition that is noticed by health authorities.......
infant stimulation program
infant stimulation program, approach to sensory enrichment for very young children, particularly those who are......
inoculation
inoculation, process of producing immunity that consists of introduction of the infectious agent into the body.......
Institute for Sexual Science
Institute for Sexual Science, German research clinic and medical practice in operation from 1919 to 1933 in Tiergarten,......
Insulin
Insulin, hormone that regulates the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood and that is produced by the beta cells......
insulin shock therapy
insulin shock therapy, form of psychiatric treatment in which patients were given increasingly large doses of insulin......
intensive care unit
intensive care unit, hospital facility for care of critically ill patients at a more intensive level than is needed......
Interferon
Interferon, any of several related proteins that are produced by various types of cells in the body as a defensive......
internal medicine
internal medicine, medical specialty that deals with the diagnosis and medical, as opposed to surgical, treatment......
International Federation of Sports Medicine
International Federation of Sports Medicine (FIMS), confederation primarily comprising national sports medicine......
International Unit
International Unit (IU), in pharmacology, quantity of a substance, such as a vitamin, hormone, or toxin, that produces......
intrauterine device
intrauterine device (IUD), small, T-shaped device inserted into the uterus to provide long-acting, reversible contraception......
inulin clearance
inulin clearance, procedure by which the filtering capacity of the glomeruli (the main filtering structures of......
Invalides, Les
Les Invalides, an extensive complex of 17th-century structures and courtyards in Paris designed for the care and......
Investigating Therapeutic Uses for Hallucinogens
Hallucinogens are a class of psychoactive drugs that produce temporary mental changes that include distorted sensory......
iodoform
iodoform, a yellow, crystalline solid belonging to the family of organic halogen compounds, used as an antiseptic......
ipecac
ipecac, dried rhizome and roots of the tropical New World plant Carapichea ipecacuanha of the madder family (Rubiaceae).......
iproniazid
iproniazid, the first drug of the monoamine-oxidase inhibitor series to be introduced into medicine (1958). It......
iron lung
iron lung, mechanical medical device, sufficiently large to enclose most of an individual’s body, used to maintain......
isolation
isolation, in medicine, separation of an infected individual (human or animal) from the healthy until that individual......
isoniazid
isoniazid, drug used in the treatment and prevention of tuberculosis. Isoniazid commonly is used in combination......
itching
itching, a stimulation of free nerve endings, usually at the junction of the dermis and epidermis of the skin,......
Itzamná
Itzamná, principal pre-Columbian Mayan deity, ruler of heaven, day, and night. He frequently appeared as four gods......
ivermectin
ivermectin, antiparasitic drug used as a dewormer in livestock and other animals and to treat onchocerciasis (river......
Jimsonweed
Jimsonweed, (Datura stramonium), annual herbaceous plant of the nightshade family (Solanaceae). Possibly native......
Karolinska Institute
Karolinska Institute, a Swedish institute for medical education and research, founded in 1810. The primary interest......
ketamine
ketamine, general anesthetic agent related structurally to the hallucinogen phencyclidine (PCP). Ketamine was first......
ketoconazole
ketoconazole, antifungal drug used to treat skin and bodily infections caused by various types of fungi. Ketoconazole......
khat
khat, (Catha edulis), slender evergreen tree or shrub, the leaves and young buds of which are chewed for a euphoric......
khitān
khitān, in Islam, circumcision of the male; by extension it may also refer to the circumcision of the female (properly......
kidney function test
kidney function test, any clinical and laboratory procedure designed to evaluate various aspects of renal (kidney)......
kidney transplant
kidney transplant, replacement of a diseased or damaged kidney with a healthy one obtained either from a living......
kinesiology
kinesiology, the study of human movement, encompassing the physiological, biomechanical, and psychological mechanisms......
knee-jerk reflex
knee-jerk reflex, sudden kicking movement of the lower leg in response to a sharp tap on the patellar tendon, which......
Knockout mouse
Knockout mouse, genetically engineered laboratory mouse (Mus musculus) in which a specific gene has been inactivated,......
kratom
kratom, (Mitragyna speciosa), large evergreen tree of the coffee or madder family, the leaves of which function......
labanotation
labanotation, system of recording human movement, originated by the Hungarian-born dance theorist Rudolf Laban.......
Lancet, The
The Lancet, British medical journal established in 1823. The journal’s founder and first editor was Thomas Wakley,......
laparoscopy
laparoscopy, procedure that permits visual examination of the abdominal cavity with an optical instrument called......
laparotomy
laparotomy, opening of the abdominal (or peritoneal) cavity. After laparotomy became reasonably safe, the whole......
laryngectomy
laryngectomy, surgical procedure to remove all or a portion of the larynx (voice box). The procedure most often......
LASIK
LASIK, laser-based eye surgery commonly used to correct nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and......
lateral flow test
lateral flow test, method for the rapid detection and quantification of chemicals and other substances (analytes)......
laudanum
laudanum, originally, the name given by Paracelsus to a famous medical preparation of his own, composed of gold,......
laxative
laxative, any drug used in the treatment of constipation to promote the evacuation of feces. Laxatives produce......
leeching
leeching, the application of a living leech to the skin in order to initiate blood flow or deplete blood from a......
lethargy
lethargy, in medicine, a morbid condition of deep and lasting drowsiness from which the sufferer can be aroused......
letrozole
letrozole, anticancer drug used to inhibit the synthesis of estrogen in postmenopausal women who have breast cancers......
leukapheresis
leukapheresis, the separation and collection of white blood cells (leukocytes) from other blood components, including......
levallorphan
levallorphan, drug derived from morphine that can activate certain receptors and inhibit others. Levallorphan’s......
levodopa
levodopa, Organic compound (L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) from which the body makes dopamine, a neurotransmitter......
lidocaine
lidocaine, synthetic organic compound used in medicine, usually in the form of its hydrochloride salt, as a local......
lifesaving
lifesaving, any activity related to the saving of life in cases of drowning, shipwreck, and other accidents on......
lincosamide
lincosamide, any agent in a class of antibiotics that are derived from the compound lincomycin and that inhibit......
lithium
lithium, in pharmacology, drug that is the primary treatment for bipolar disorder. Given primarily in its carbonate......
liver function test
liver function test, any laboratory procedure that measures and assesses various aspects of liver function. Because......
Lobotomy
Lobotomy, surgical procedure in which the nerve pathways in a lobe or lobes of the brain are severed from those......
lockdown
lockdown, the ordered confinement of one or more people to a specific location, most commonly for protection from......
lorazepam
lorazepam, drug used in the treatment of anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, and epilepsy, as a sedative, and to......