Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

A bacterial infection due to a cat scratch most often seen today in people with HIV. The disease characteristically presents with swollen lymph nodes (lymphadenitis), sore throat, fatigue, and fever, chills, sweats, vomiting, loss of appetite, and weight loss. There is usually a little bump (a papule) which may be pus-filled (a pustule) at the site of the scratch. Then more nodules appear on and under…

Partial dislocation of the elbow. The radius (a bone in the forearm) slips out of the ligament that holds it in place at the elbow. This is common in children under 4 years of age. It may be due to an adult lifting or swinging the child by one hand and can also occur when…

The sum total of the damage done to the child before birth as a result of the mother drinking alcohol during pregnancy. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) always involves brain damage, impaired growth, and head and face abnormalities. No amount of alcohol has been proven safe during pregnancy. Women who are or may become pregnant are therefore strongly advised to avoid alcohol.…

A device that allows a baby to move about in a half-seated, half-upright position. A “walker” may paradoxically delay a baby in development. The baby using a walker tends to be slow in reaching motor milestones such as sitting up, crawling, and walking and other milestones such as those involving memory, learning, and language skills. The American…

The first teeth which are shed and replaced by permanent teeth. The first primary tooth comes in at about 6 months of age and the 20th and last primary tooth erupts at around 2 1/2 years of age. The primary teeth are replaced beginning usually at about age 6. Also called baby teeth, milk teeth,…

A common temporary psychological state right after childbirth when a new mother may have sudden mood swings, feeling very happy, then very sad, cry for no apparent reason, feel impatient, unusually irritable, restless, anxious, lonely and sad. The baby blues may last only a few hours or as long as 1 to 2 weeks after delivery. The baby…

An important neurologic examination based upon what the big toe does when the sole of the foot is stimulated. If the big toe goes up, that may mean trouble. The Babinski sign is obtained by stimulating the external portion (the outside) of the sole. The examiner begins the stimulation back at the heel and goes…

An important neurologic test based, believe it or not, upon what the big toe does when the sole of the foot is stimulated. If the big toe goes up, that may mean trouble. The Babinski reflex is obtained by stimulating the external portion (the outside) of the sole. The examiner begins the stimulation back at…

A reflex used to determine adequacy of the higher (central) nervous system. The Babinski reflex is obtained by stimulating the outside of the sole of the foot, causing extension of the big toe while fanning the other toes. The examiner begins the stimulation at the heel and goes forward to the base of the toes.…

An illness caused by the parasite Babesia which is transmitted from animals to humans by ticks. In the US, it is typically contracted in the Northeast or Midwest — in southern New England or New York State and in Wisconsin or Minnesota. The signs and symptoms include fever, chills, sweating, myalgias (muscle aches), fatigue, hepatosplenomegaly (enlargement of the liver and spleen) and hemolytic anemia (anemia due to…