Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

A unit of food energy. The word calorie is ordinarily used instead of the more precise, scientific term kilocalorie. A kilocalorie represents the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of a liter of water 1′ centigrade at sea level. Technically, a kilocalorie represents 1,000 true calories of energy.

A unit of measurement of weight and mass in the metric system. In weight, a gram is equal to a thousandth of a kilogram. In mass, a gram is equal to a thousandth of a liter (one cubic centimeter) of water at 4 degrees centigrade. The word “gram” comes from the Late Latin “gramma” meaning a small weight via the…

Healthy skin, bone, kidney, liver, or other tissue that is taken from one part of the body to replace diseased or injured tissue removed from another part of the body. For example, skin grafts can be used to cover areas of skin that have been burned.

GPO in a healthcare context (and many other contexts) a GPO is a Group Purchasing Organization. A medical group purchasing organization might be able to bring the purchasing power and negotiating leverage of large medical consortiums or hospital systems to doctors’ offices.

The temporary loss of consciousness in particular kinds of situations. (Syncope is temporary loss of consciousness or, in plain English, fainting). The situations that trigger this reaction are diverse and include having blood drawn, straining while urinating or defecating or coughing. The reaction also can be due to the emotional stress of fear or pain. With Gower syndrome, people often become pale and feel…

An attack that is usually extremely painful of joint inflammation due to deposits of uric acid crystals in the joint fluid (synovial fluid) and joint lining (synovial lining). Intense joint inflammation occurs as white blood cells engulf the uric acid crystals, causing pain, heat, and redness of the joint tissues. The term “gout” commonly is used to…

Condition characterized by abnormally elevated levels of uric acid in the blood, recurring attacks of joint inflammation (arthritis), deposits of hard lumps of uric acid in and around the joints, and decreased kidney function and kidney stones. Uric acid is a breakdown product of purines, that are part of many foods we eat. The tendency to develop gout and…

Also known as Cutis anserina, a temporary local change in the?skin when it becomes rougher due to erection of little muscles, as from?cold, fear, or excitement. The chain of events leading to this skin change starts with a stimulus such as cold or fear. That stimulus causes a nerve discharge from the sympathetic nervous system, a portion of the…

Also known as Cutis anserina, a temporary local change in the?skin when it becomes rougher due to erection of little muscles, as from?cold, fear, or excitement. The chain of events leading to this skin change starts with a stimulus such as cold or fear. That stimulus causes a nerve discharge from the sympathetic nervous system, a portion of the…

A law designed to protect a Good Samaritan from legal liability. Such laws usually specify that whoever in good faith provides emergency (and sometimes non-emergency) medical services shall not be civilly liable unless their acts constitute wanton misconduct. See also Good Samaritan.