Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

1. The end of life. The cessation of life. (These common definitions of death ultimately depend upon the definition of life, upon which there is no consensus.) 2. The permanent cessation of all vital bodily functions. (This definition depends upon the definition of “vital bodily functions.”) See: Vital bodily functions. 3. The common law standard for determining death is the…

Partial or complete hearing loss. Levels of hearing impairment vary from a mild to a total loss of hearing. Elderly adults suffer most often from hearing loss. The most common cause of hearing loss in children is otitis media. A substantial number of hearing impairments are caused by environmental factors such as noise, drugs, and toxins. Deafness can…

The Drug Enforcement Administration of the US Department of Justice, which regulates interstate commerce in prescription drugs to prevent them from being used as drugs of abuse. Every prescription written in the US bears the DEA number of the prescribing physician.

Rhythmic nodding or bobbing of the head in synchrony with the heart beat, a sign of aortic insufficiency –incompetence of the aortic valve with aortic regurgitation. The causes include syphilitic aortitis, rheumatic fever, and aortic aneurysm. Named after the French Romantic poet and playwright Alfred de Musset (1810-1857).

Abbreviation meaning ‘dispense as written.’

An eating plan designed to lower the blood pressure. DASH is an acronym for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The DASH “combination diet” has been shown to decrease the blood pressure and so helps prevent and control high blood pressure. The DASH “combination diet” is rich in fruits, vegetables, and low fat dairy foods, and low in…

Colorblindness of the red-green type (also known as deuteranopia or deuteranomaly). The term “Daltonism” is derived from the name of the chemist and physicist, John Dalton (1766-1844). Dalton was born in a village in Cumberland, England where his father, Joseph, was a weaver in poor circumstances. He was educated by his father and John Fletcher,…

DV, a term on food labels based on the RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) designed to help consumers use food label information to plan a healthy diet. The Daily Value serves as a basis for declaring on the label the percent of the DV for each nutrient that a serving of the food provides. For example, the Daily Value for…

Prefix or suffix denoting the digits (fingers or toes), as in dactylitis (inflammation of a finger or toe).

A combining form denoting tears, as in dacryocyst (tear sac) and dacryocystorhinostomy (surgery to open up a tear duct). From the Greek dakry meaning “a tear.”