Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Resembling shot or pellets of lead, shotgun pellets and, hence, hard and round. The term “shotty” was in use in the 19th century. It is now generally obsolete but it is still in medicinal usage. Shotty is very commonly used in describing the feel of lymph nodes (the lymph glands) when they are palpated (felt)…

Difficulty in breathing. Medically referred to as dyspnea. Shortness of breath can be caused by respiratory (breathing passages and lungs) or circulatory (heart and blood vessels) conditions and other conditions such as severe anemia or high fever.

The short arm of a human chromosome is symbolized by convention as “p”. The “p” comes from the French “petit” meaning small. All human chromosomes have 2 arms, the p (short) arm and the q (long) arm. They are separated from each other only by a primary constriction, the centromere, the point at which the…

Secondary shock is often associated with heat stroke, crushing injuries, heart attack (myocardial infarction), poisoning, fulminating infections, burns, and other life-threatening conditions. The pathologic characteristics of this state reflect changes in the capillaries, which become dilated and engorged with blood. This may develop over time and is characterized by weakness, restlessness, low body temperature, low blood pressure, cold sweat, reduced urinary output and progressive decrease…

In medicine, a critical condition that is brought on by a sudden drop in blood flow through the body. The circulatory system fails to maintain adequate blood flow, sharply curtailing the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to vital organs. It also compromises the kidneys and so restricts the removal of wastes from the body. Shock can be due to…

An old name for epidemic typhus, which was common in the crowded conditions aboard ship. Ship Fever and Other Stories (1996) by Andrea Barrett received the National Book Award.

An acute infection caused by the herpes zoster virus, the same virus as causes chickenpox. Shingles is most common after the age of 50 and the risk rises with advancing age. Shingles occurs because of exposure to chickenpox or reactivation of the herpes zoster virus. The virus remains latent (dormant) in nerve roots for many years following chickenpox. Shingles is an extraordinarily painful condition…

A light brown or reddish oval or round scaly patch on the skin of the shin. Shin spots can be due to diabetes.

Called shin bone fever because it characteristically causes fever and pain in the legs, this disease is also known as trench fever. It is a disease borne by body lice that was first recognized in the trenches of World War I, when it is estimated to have affected more than a million people in Russia and on…

Epidemic and opportunistic (causes disease when the immune system is suppressed) dysentery that is due to infection with shigella bacteria. Shigellosis causes intestinal pain and diarrhea, with mucus and blood in the stool. It is especially common in tropical countries but frequently occurs elsewhere. It is a particular hazard for people with AIDS or other immunodeficiency states. Treatment is with antibiotics against the…