GLOSSARY OF MEDICAL TERMS
There are parts of this book that can only be fully grasped by a physician, but I have tried to write it so that any intelligent reader may be able to see not only the drift of the argument, but may be able to make a personal application of it. To this end I am giving a glossary with definitions of the more abstruse scientific words.
Pathological.—The branch of medical science that treats of diseased conditions, their nature and causes.
Ventricle.—The left ventricle is the chief pump of the heart which by its powerful contraction forces the blood forward into the aorta, the first part of the arterial system. It is the initial motor of the circulation.
Systole.—The contraction of the heart that drives the blood onward.
Diastole.—The dilating time of the ventricle in which the blood flows in to fill it for its next contraction.
Sphygmomanometer.—The name of the instrument that measures the blood pressure.
Peripheral.—The parts farthest from the centre.
Tinnitus.—A singing or ringing in the ears.
Hyperpiesis.—Abnormal increase of blood pressure.
Atheroma.—A form of fatty degeneration with hardening of the inner coats of the arteries.
Endocrine.—A name given to certain glands of the body which have no external outlet or secretion (ἐνδον, within, and κρίνω, to separate), such as the thyroid.
Protein.—The entire amount of nitrogenous material in organic substances.
Hypophysis.—The pituitary gland situated at the base of the brain.