Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

A major class of immunoglobulins found in the blood, including many of the most common antibodies circulating in the blood. Also called immunoglobulin G (IgG).

The development and production of the male and female germ cells required to form a new individual. The male and female germ cells are called gametes. The gametes in human males are produced by the testes, two globe-shaped reproductive organs just below the penis. Male gametes are what most people refer to as sperm. Gametes in human females are…

A technique in which the male and female germ cells required to begin formation of a human embryo are injected into a woman’s fallopian tubes of the female for fertilization. This technique is one of the methods doctors use to overcome infertility, the inability of couples to produce offspring on their own. Gametes (germ cells) in males are the spermatozoa,…

The lack of the enzyme to break down the sugar (galactose-1-phosphate uridyl transferase) causes the genetic metabolic disease called galactosemia. Galactosemia is an elevated level of galactose in the blood. GALT is also the acronym for the gene that encodes the enzyme. Galactosemia causes liver dysfunction, susceptibility to infections, failure to thrive, ovarian problems, and cataracts.

Stones that form when substances in the bile harden. Gallstones can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball. There can be just one large stone, hundreds of tiny stones, or any combination. Gallstones can block the normal flow of bile if they lodge in any of the ducts that carry bile…

An abnormal heart rhythm that pounds in the chest resembling the gallop of a horse when heard during examination with a stethoscope.

This condition, also known as agenesis (failure of development) of the gallbladder, occurs in approximately one out of every 1,000 people. Gallbladder agenesis is an isolated abnormality in more than two-thirds (70%) of people with agenesis. The person with isolated agenesis of the gallbladder is healthy. No treatment is needed. The prognosis (outlook) is excellent. Gallbladder agenesis occurs…

A pear-shaped organ located below the liver that stores the bile secreted by the liver. During and after a fatty meal, the gallbladder contracts, delivering the bile through the bile ducts into the intestines to help with digestion.

An abnormally large and persistent fear of sharks. Sufferers from this phobia experience anxiety even though they may be safe on a boat or in an aquarium or on a beach. Hollywood films depicting sharks as calculating, vengeful diabolical monsters have no doubt enkindled the fear of sharks in many persons. So have validated reports…

Greek physician and philosopher (born about 129 AD, died about 210 AD) known among other things for his discovery of blood in human arteries and for his dissection of the human cranial nerves, the nerves that supply key areas of the head, face, and upper chest. The son of Nicon, a well-to-do architect and builder in Pergamum (Asia…