Medicine definitions Flashcards
Embryology
The science of embryos and life at its very early stages.
Quality of life
The extent to which life is meaningful and pleasurable
Transplant
The process of taking an organ from a donor and placing it into the body of a person whose life is in danger.
Abortion
Ending a pregnancy by removing the embryo or foetus
Cloning
The process of making an identical copy of something
> any illnesses/defects are also copied
Free will
The ability to act at one’s own discretion, the power to act without the constraint of fate
Genetic engineering
The alteration of the structure and thus characteristic of a gene
> eg to improve the quality of crops
Surrogacy
The process where a woman carries a child for another couple
Conception
When the ovum and sperm meet, when the human egg is fertilised.
Hippocratic oath.
The promise made by doctors to preserve life at all costs.
Medical ethics.
> the process of deciding what is acceptable in medicine according to your conscience
The sanctity of life.
The idea that all forms of life are scared and to be protected.
Eg because it is a gift from God
