CATHETERIZE.--To empty the bladder by means of a tube-like instrument which is introduced into the passage through which the urine normally leaves the bladder.
CELL.--One of the microscopical structural units which make up our bodies.
CELL-DIVISION.--The process by which a single cell becomes two cells.
CEREBRUM.--The portion of the brain which is the seat of mental activity.
CHORIONIC MEMBRANE.--The outermost of the two membranes which surround the embryo.
CHROMATIN.--A substance within the nucleus of a cell which has a special affinity for certain staining agents.
CHROMOSOMES.--One of the pieces into which the chromatin is broken during the act of cell-division.
CLINICAL.--Pertaining to the sick-bed.
COLOSTRUM.--The fluid secreted by the breasts during pregnancy and for two or three days after the birth of the child.
CONTRACTION.--The act by which the muscle fibers of the uterus become shorter and press upon its contents.
CURETTAGE.--Scraping out the lining of the uterus.
DELIVERY.--The birth of the child.
DIAGNOSIS.--The determination of either normal or abnormal states of the body.
DIAPHRAGM.--The muscular partition between the chest and the abdomen.
DIETETIC.--Pertaining to the diet.
DUCT.--A tube which conveys the secretion from a gland.
EMBRYO.--The offspring before it has assumed the distinctive form and structure of the parent.
ENEMA.--A quantity of fluid injected into the rectum.
ENGAGEMENT.--The entrance of the fetus into the birth-canal.
ETHNOLOGY.--The science which deals with the character, customs, and institutions of races of men.
EUGENICS.--The science which deals with the improvement of the human race by better breeding. (Davenport.)
EXCRETION.--Waste substance thrown off from the body.
FEBRILE.--Attended with fever.
FETUS.--The unborn child after the third month of development.
FOOD-STUFF.--Anything used for the sustenance of man.
FUNCTION.--The discharge of its duty by any organ of the body.
GASTRIC JUICE.--The digestive fluid secreted by the wall of the stomach.
GERMINAL CELLS.--The structural units from which a new individual takes origin. The cell contributed by the mother is called an egg- cell or ovum; that contributed by the father, a spermatozoon.
GESTATION.--Same as pregnancy.
GLAND.--An organ which separates certain substances from the blood, and pours out a material, usually fluid, peculiar to itself.
HYGIENE.--That department of medical knowledge which relates to the preservation of health; sanitary science.
INANITION.--The condition which results from insufficient nourishment.
INFECTION.--A disease due to bacteria.
INTESTINE.--The bowels; the long membranous tube extending from the stomach to the rectum.
INVOLUTION.--The process by which the uterus returns after child- birth to its former size and position.
LACTATION.--The secretion of milk.
LIGAMENT.--A band of tissue serving to bind one part of the body to another.
LIGATURE.--Anything that serves for tying a blood-vessel.
LOCHIA.--The discharge continuing for several weeks after the birth of a child.
LOTION.--Any liquid holding in solution medicinal substances intended for application to the skin.
LUNAR MONTH.--A month of twenty-eight days.
MAMMAL.--The highest order of animal, namely, one which suckles its young.
MAMMARY.--Relating to the breast.
MASTICATION.--The act of chewing.
MENOPAUSE.--The permanent abolishment of the menstrual process, which generally occurs between the 45th and the 50th years.
MICRO-ORGANISMS.--Bacteria and other living agents of disease which are visible only with the aid of the microscope.
MISCARRIAGE.--The termination of pregnancy prior to the seventh month.
MUCOUS MEMBRANE.--The lining of certain cavities of the body, such as the mouth, stomach, intestine, uterus, etc.
MUCUS.--The material manufactured by the glands in a mucous membrane.
MUSCLE-FIBERS.--The muscle-cells.