key terms Flashcards
Loss of the ability to feel pain, as by administration of a drug
ANESTHESIA
Listening for sounds within the body, usually within the chest or abdomen
AUSCULTATION
Destruction of tissue by a damaging agent, such as a harmful chemical,
heat, or electric current
CAUTERY
The use of chemicals to treat disease
CHEMOTHERAPY
Removal of a small amount of tissue for microscopic examination
BIOPSY
The process of determining the cause and nature of an illness
DIAGNOSIS
An instrument for examining the inside of an organ or cavity through a body opening or small incision; most endoscopes use fiberoptics for viewing
ENDOSCOPE
Removal by cutting (suffix -ectomy)
EXCISION
A method for evaluating a tumor based on microscopic examination
of the cells
GRADING
A device that transforms light into a beam of intense heat and power;
used for surgery and diagnosis
LASER
Holding or fastening a structure in a fixed position (suffix -pexy)
FIXATION
Treatment that involves stimulation or suppression of the immune system, either specifically or nonspecifically
IMMUNOTHERAPY
Visual examination of the body
INSPECTION
A cut, as for surgery; also the act of cutting (suffix -tomy)
INCISION
An instrument for examining the interior of the eye
OPHTHALMOSCOPE
Instrument used to examine the ears
OTOSCOPE
Providing relief but not cure; a treatment that provides such relief
PALLIATIVE
Examining by placing the hands or fingers on the surface of the body
to determine such characteristics as texture, temperature, movement,
and consistency
PALPATION
Tapping the body lightly but sharply to assess the condition of the
underlying part by the sounds obtained
PERCUSSION
Prediction of the course and outcome of a disease
PROGNOSIS
Use of x-rays passed through the body to make a visual record (radiograph) of internal structures on specially sensitized film
RADIOGRAPHY
A substance that gives off radiation; used for diagnosis and treatment;
also called radioisotope or radiopharmaceutical
RADIONUCLIDE
A lessening of the symptoms of a disease; the period during which
this decrease occurs or the period when no sign of a disease exists
REMISSION
An objective evidence of disease that can be observed or tested; examples are fever, rash, high blood pressure, and blood or urine abnormalities; an objective symptom
SIGN
The process of classifying malignant tumors for diagnosis, treatment,
and prognosis
STAGING
The blood pressure apparatus or blood pressure cuff; pressure is read in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) when the heart is contracting
(systolic pressure) and when the heart is relaxing (diastolic pressure)
and is reported as systolic/diastolic
SPHYGMOMANOMETER
An instrument used for listening to sounds produced within the body
(from the Greek root steth/o, meaning “chest”)
STETHOSCOPE
To unite parts by stitching them together; also the thread or other
material used in that process or the seam formed by surgical stitching (suffix -rhaphy)
SUTURE
A method for treating disease or injury by manual operations
SURGERY
Any evidence of disease; sometimes limited to subjective evidence of
disease, as experienced by the individual, such as pain, dizziness,
weakness
SYMPTOM
Treatment; intervention
THERAPY
A method for learning control of involuntary physiologic responses
by using electronic devices to monitor bodily changes and feed this
information back to a person
BIOFEEDBACK
A philosophy of treating disease by administering drugs in highly diluted
form along with promoting healthy life habits and a healthy environment (from home/o, meaning “same,” and path, meaning “disease”)
HOMEOPATHY
An ancient Chinese method of inserting thin needles into the body at
specific points to relieve pain, induce anesthesia, or promote healing;
similar effects can be obtained by using firm finger pressure at the
surface of the body in the technique of acupressure
ACUPUNTURE
A science that stresses the condition of the nervous system in diagnosis and treatment of disease; often, the spine is manipulated to correct misalignment; most patients consult for musculoskeletal pain and
headaches (from Greek cheir, meaning “hand”)
CHIROPRACTIC
A therapeutic philosophy of helping people to heal themselves by developing healthy lifestyles, naturopaths may use some of the methods of conventional medicine (from nature and path/o, meaning “disease”)
NATUROPATHY
A system of therapy based on the theory that the body can overcome
disease when it has normal structure, a favorable environment, andCproper nutrition; osteopaths use standard medical practices for diagnosis and treatment but stress the identification and correction of faulty body structure (from oste/o, meaning “bone,” and path, meaning “disease”)
OSTEOPATHY
