Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

The sum of the total of the elements, factors and conditions in the surroundings which may have an impact on the development, action or survival of an organism or group of organisms.

Involuntary urination, which may be caused by a variety of factors. These include disorders of the kidneys, bladder, or ureter and/or poor control of the muscles that control the release of urine. Enuresis is also occasionally associated with neurological disorders, such as Tourette’s syndrome, particularly in children. Nighttime (nocturnal) enuresis may be related to any of the above, or may be a symptom…

The surgical removal of an eye. Enucleation is done under drastic circumstances such as to remove a malignant tumor in the eye or to relieve intolerable pain in a blind eye. Following enucleation, an artificial eye (ocular prosthesis) is implanted as a cosmetic substitute for the real eye.

An abnormal and persistent fear of insects. Sufferers experience anxiety even though they realize that most insects pose no threat. To avoid insects, they may frequently clean rooms and carpets, sweep hallways, spray insect-killer or seal off doors and windows. Entophobia (insect phobia) includes acarophobia (mites: scabies) and arachnophobia (spiders). A true insect phobia is…

A virus that enters the body through the gastrointestinal tract and thrives there, often moving on to attack the nervous system. The polioviruses are enteroviruses. Enteroviruses are small viruses that are made of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and protein. In addition to the three different polioviruses, there are a number of non-polio enteroviruses that can cause disease in humans, including the Coxsackieviruses (Coxsackie…

A surgical operation that opens the small intestine and brings it through the abdominal wall to create a new opening (a stoma) to permit intestinal draining. Like a colostomy, an enterostomy is a type of ostomy.

A painful, intense contraction of the intestine.

Prefix referring to the intestine, as in enteropathy (a disease of the intestine) and enterospasm (a painful, intense contraction of the intestine).

Coated with a material that permits transit through the stomach to the small intestine before the medication is released. The term “enteric” means “of or relating to the small intestine.”

Of or relating to the small intestine.