Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

The womb (uterus) is a hollow, pear-shaped organ located in a woman’s lower abdomen between the bladder and the rectum. The narrow, lower portion of the uterus is the cervix; the broader, upper part is the corpus. The corpus is made up of two layers of tissue.

A condition that is caused by an abnormality in the electrical system of the heart, which normally tells the heart muscle when to contract. Abbreviated WPW syndrome. In WPW syndrome there is an extra electrical connection inside the heart that acts as a short circuit, causing the heart to beat too rapidly and sometimes in an irregular…

Medical shorthand for within normal limits. For example, a laboratory test result may be WNL.

Medical shorthand for white male.

Abnormal physical or psychological features that follow the abrupt discontinuation of a drug that has the capability of producing physical dependence. In example, common opiates withdrawal symptoms include sweating, goosebumps, vomiting, anxiety, insomnia, and muscle pain.

A folk term for the milk that often comes from the breast of a newborn baby. This temporary phenomenon is due to stimulation of the baby’s breasts by the mother’s hormones that cross the placenta during pregnancy. The ability of the baby’s breasts to respond in this fashion is a mark of baby born at…

Popular and familiar term for the scapula, the flat triangular bone at the back of the shoulder. The word “scapula” (with the accent on the first syllable) is a steal straight from the Latin. The Romans always employed the plural “scapulae”, the shoulder blades. Because the shoulder blade resembles the blade of a trowel (a small shovel),…

The subagency of the United Nations (UN) that is concerned with international health. Abbreviated WHO. Also known as Organisation Mondiale de la Sant’ (OMS).

The part of the brain that contains myelinated nerve fibers. The white matter is white because it is the color of myelin, the insulation that covers nerve fibers.

The number of white blood cells (WBCs) in the blood. The WBC is usually measured as part of the CBC (complete blood count). White blood cells are the infection-fighting cells in the blood and are distinct from the red (oxygen-carrying) blood cells known as erythrocytes. There are different types of white blood cells, including neutrophils (polymorphonuclear leukocytes; PMNs),…