Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Curved like a bow. In anatomy, circumflex describes a structure that bends around like a bow. For example, the circumflex branch of the left coronary artery. In linguistics, a circumflex is a caret-shaped mark (^) used over a vowel to indicate the pronunciation, length or the omission of a letter formerly pronounced. In French, it is called “un…

Surgery that removes the foreskin (the loose tissue) covering the glans of the penis. Circumcision may be performed for religious, cultural reasons or health reasons. Newborn circumcision diminishes the risk for cancer of the penis and lowers the risk for cancer of the cervix in sexual partners. It also decreases the risk of urinary tract infections and lowers the risk of sexually transmitted diseases,…

Prefix meaning around, surrounding, or encircling. As in circumcision, circumflex, and circumjacent. From the Latin preposition circum meaning round.

The system that moves blood throughout the body. The circulatory system is composed of the heart, arteries, capillaries, and veins. This remarkable system transports oxygenated blood from the lungs and heart throughout the body via the arteries. The blood goes through the capillaries which are situated between the arteries and veins. And the blood that has been depleted of oxygen…

Having to do with circulation, the movement of fluid in a regular or circuitous course.

In medicine, the movement of fluid through the body in a regular or circuitous course. The circulatory system, composed of the heart and blood vessels, functions to produce circulation. Heart failure is an example of a problem with circulation.

A drug that acts as a calcimimetic and that is marketed under the trade name Sensipar.

A distinctive syndrome of headaches, better known today as cluster headache. There are two main clinical patterns of cluster headache — the episodic and the chronic: The episodic and acute forms of cluster headache may transform into one another, so it seems most likely that they are merely different-appearing clinical patterns of one and the…

A circular muscle that relaxes or tightens the zonules to enable the lens to change shape for focusing. The zonules are fibers that hold the lens suspended in position and enable it to change shape during accommodation.

The fine hairlike projections from certain cells such as those in the respiratory tract that sweep in unison and help to sweep away fluids and particles. Some single-celled organisms use the rhythmical motion of cilia for locomotion. Cilia is the plural of cilium, a Latin word referring to the edge of the eyelid and, much later, to the eyelashes. Cilia…