Medicine

Blood Groups

The most common (human) blood group (in the UK – A is more common in some other countries, including much of continental Europe): known as 'the universal donor' – has both anti–A and anti–B antibodies, no antigens – can donate to all, but can only receive from individuals of the same group		O
Next most common: has A antigens, anti–B antibodies – can donate to AB or the same group, receive from O or same group		A
Third most common: has B antigens, anti–A antibodies – can donate to AB or the same group, receive from O or same group		B
The rarest group: "the universal recipient" – no antibodies, but both A and B antigens – can receive from all, but can only donate to individuals of the same group		AB

Each of the above four groups is commonly divided into Rhesus positive and Rhesus negative. In each of the four ABO groups, Rhesus positive is more common; so O+ is the most common and AB– is the rarest.

According to the NHS, the breakdown is as follows:

Vitamins

'Accessory factors' contained in some foods – in addition to proteins, carbohydrates, fats, etc. – necessary for the functions of the human body; postulated in 1898 by English biochemist Frederick Hopkins		Vitamins
Vitamin A		Retinol
Vitamin B1		Thiamin(e)
Vitamin B2		Riboflavin(e)
Vitamin B7 – used in the synthesis of fatty acids and the generation of glucose		Biotin
Vitamin  B9 (important for cell division and growth, hence commonly prescribed for pregnant women)		Folic acid
Vitamin C		Ascorbic acid

Vitamin to which carotene is converted in the small intestine			A
Deficiency is said to cause night blindness
Beri–beri is caused by lack of: Vitamin			B1 (thiamine)
Pernicious anaemia is caused by lack of: Vitamin			B12
Scurvy is caused by lack of: Vitamin			C
Vitamin produced by the body when exposed to direct sunlight; deficiency causes softening of the bones (osteomalacia) – known in children as rickets			D
Plays a central role in blood coagulation (it's where its name comes from – in the German and Scandinavian languages); leafy vegetables are rich in it; often given to newborn babies			K
Disease attributed to deficiency of the B complex vitamin niacin			Pellagra

General

Disease that comes to a crisis (cf. chronic)		Acute
Addison's disease is characterised by insufficient hormone production in the		Adrenal glands
Dipsomania is a craving for		Alcohol
Condition caused by a lack of red blood cells or haemoglobin		Anaemia
Novocain, nitrous oxide, sodium pentothal, cyclopropane: used as		Anaesthetics
A swelling in an artery wall, caused by a weakness		Aneurysm
Mechanical widening of a restricted blood vessel		Angioplasty
Pott's fracture occurs in the		Ankle
Named after the Greek for coal (because of the black lesions it causes); also known as wool sorters' disease		Anthrax
Type of medicine, whose name is derived (counter–intuitively) from the Greek, meaning 'opposing life'		Antibiotic
Drug that reduces fever (or body temperature) – cf. febrifuge		Antipyretic
Technical name for hardening of the arteries		Arteriosclerosis
Inflammation of the joints (cf. Rheumatism)		Arthritis
Treated with a bronchodilator; commonly treated with salbutamol (a.k.a. bentalyn)		Asthma
Eye condition in which rays from one point are not focused to a single point, causing round objects to appear oval		Astigmatism
Tinea pedis (TIN–ee–uh PED–iss) is the technical name for		Athlete's foot
Common name for halitosis		Bad breath
Blepharectomy: removal of		Bags under the eyes
Alopecia, calvity or calvities (adj. calvous)		Baldness or hair loss
Used as a contrast agent (i.e. to improve the visibility of internal bodily structures) for gastro–intestinal X–rays		Barium sulphate
Common name for decompression sickness or caisson disease		The bends
Removal of living tissue from the body for examination		Biopsy
Periorbital haematoma		Black eye
(Open) comedo: medical name for a		Blackhead
Cyst– (e.g. cystectomy, cystitis): relating to the		Bladder
Factor 8 is used to treat disorders of		Blood
A phlebotomist is someone who extracts
Common name for an embolism		Blood clot
Common name for toxaemia		Blood poisoning
Systolic and diastolic are (respectively) the upper and lower measures of		Blood pressure
Vascular: concerning		Blood vessels
Rare but serious form of food poisoning, named from the Latin for sausage		Botulism
Corsiloff's disease and encephalitis affect the		Brain
Removed in a mastectomy		Breast
Birth where the baby is born feet or buttocks first (as opposed to head first)		Breech birth
Osteogenesis imperfecta: common name		Brittle Bone Disease
First recognised as a distinct disease, rather than a set of symptoms, in the 1950s; common in Britain following the infamous smogs of the period; once known in Continental Europe as 'the English disease'; now known to be primarily caused by smoking		Bronchitis
Common name for a haematoma or contusion (occasionally ecchymosis)		Bruise
Swelling of the lymphatic glands giving their name to the plague		Bubo (pl. buboes)
Common name for hallux abducto valgus – a deformity of the joint connecting the big toe to the foot, causing displacement to one side		Bunion
Mixture of zinc and ferric oxides, used in lotions or ointments		Calamine lotion
A substance that's known to cause cancer		Carcinogen
Disease of the eye causing the lens to become opaque		Cataract
Haematoma auris, and 'auricular haematoma', are technical terms for		Cauliflower ear
A bacterial infection involving the inner layers of the skin – most commonly affecting the legs or the face		Cellulitis
Common name for varicella (a disease caused by the varicella zoster virus)		Chicken pox
Parturition is a technical term for		Childbirth
The most common reason for someone to be admitted to hospital when they're not ill
Saltwater fever is another name for		Cholera
Any disorder characterised by abnormal involuntary movement – e.g. Huntingdon's disease		Chorea
Common name for deficiency of factor IX in the blood		Christmas disease
Deep–seated or long continued disease (cf. acute)		Chronic
Said to be the most common birth defect, technical name talipes equinovarus; 0.1 to 0.2% of live births – Lord Byron, Josef Goebbels and Dudley Moore all suffered from it		Club foot
Genetic disease – an autoimmune disorder, mainly affecting the small intestine – caused by intolerance to gluten (name is from the Greek for 'abdominal')		Coeliac disease
Most commonly broken bone		Collarbone
Achromatopsia, deuteranopia (Daltonism), protanopia, dichromatism and tritanopia are forms of		Colour–blindness
The Ishihara test tests for
Medical name for a spot, pimple or blackhead		Comedo
Plural of comedo		Comedones
Common name for coryza		Common cold
Caused by rhino–viruses
Fracture in which the bone breaks the skin		Compound
Inflammation of the membrane that covers the eyeball and the inner surface of the eyelids; commonly known as pink eye		Conjunctivitis
Anti–tussives and expectorants are used to treat		Coughs
Human equivalent of BSE		Creuzfeld–Jacob Disease
Disease of the intestines (or any part of the gastrointestinal tract), named after the New York gastroenterologist who made the first major advance to identify it in the 1930s (a.k.a. granulomatous colitis, regional ileitis, or regional enteritis)		Crohn's Disease
The most common alternative name for seborrhoeic dermatitis – also formerly known as pityriasis capitis		Dandruff
Necrosis		Death of cells or tissue
Portable device for regularising the heartbeat, by delivering an electric shock: pioneered in the early 1960s by Prof. Frank Pantridge in Belfast		Defibrillator
Rapid onset of confusion, especially when caused by withdrawal from alcohol (Latin phrase – often abbreviated to its initials)		Delirium tremens (DTs)
Disease with two forms, known as mellitus and insipidus, caused respectively by insulin deficiency and a deficiency of antidiuretic hormone or ADH; actos, avandia, bydureon and metformin are also used to treat		Diabetes
Mechanical substitution of the work of the kidneys		Dialysis
Disease in which a membrane forms across the throat		Diphtheria
The Schick test tests for susceptibility to
If an optician says you have (for example) 20/20 vision, the '20' is a measure of		Distance
Drug intended to increase the output of urine		Diuretic
Pneumonia affecting both lungs		Double pneumonia
Common name for diplopia		Double vision
Caused by three copies of chromosome 21 (instead of two)		Down Syndrome
Xerostomia (sometimes caused as a side effect of medication)		Dry mouth
Part of the body affected by Ménière's disease		Ear
The prefix 'ot–' (as in otalgia, otitis, otoscope) refers to the
Virus – said to be the deadliest known to man, with an average fatality rate of 50%: named after the river, in whose valley in Zaire (now DR Congo) it was first identified in 1976		Ebola
Pregnancy in a fallopian tube		Ectopic
Thickening of the skin and related tissues, caused by obstruction of the lymphatic vessels		Elephantiasis
A blood clot blocking an artery		Embolism
Incontinence of faeces		Encopresis
Disease which is always present in a given population		Endemic
Instrument for looking inside the body		Endoscope
Incontinence of urine		Enuresis
Injection into the outermost part of the spinal canal (the ... space), used as an anaesthetic – often during childbirth		Epidural
Grand mal, petit mal: types of		Epilepsy
Fungal disease, caused by a fungus that grows on rye and other cereals: sometimes known as St. Anthony's fire		Ergotism
Ophthalmia (or ophthalmitis) is an inflammation of the		Eye
An Amster grid is used to examine the
Opened in a strobotomy
Keratitis is an inflammation of the		Eye (cornea)
Part of the body affected by trachoma		Eye
Snellen chart: used in		Eye tests
Bletharitis: inflammation of the		Eyelids
Bell's palsy: paralysis of (part of) the		Face
Rhytidectomy		Facelift
(Vasovagal) syncope is the most common form of		Fainting
Pseudocyesis		False pregnancy
Nostrum		Fake or quack remedy

Mnemonic used to remind members of the public how to recognise the symptoms of a stroke, and how to deal with it			FAST
Meaning	A section of the face, usually only on one side, that is drooping and hard to move. This can be recognized by a crooked smile		Face
	The patient is unable to raise their arms fully		Arms
	The patient is unable to speak, or understand speech		Speech
	If you detect any of these symptoms, time is of the essence; call the emergency services or go to the hospital		Time

Lipectomy is the removal of		Fat
Herbal remedy for fever (cf. antipyretic)		Febrifuge
Bone affected by Perthes disease		Femur (thighbone)
Polydactyly means having extra		Fingers or toes
A whitlow (or felon) is an infection of the		Fingertip
A carminative (drug) is taken to relieve		Flatulence
Morton's neuroma is a painful condition affecting the nerves in the		Foot
Cholecystectomy, removal of; cholecystitis, inflammation of the		Gall bladder
Caused by excess cholesterol in the bile duct		Gallstones
A type of tissue necrosis (death of tissue), usually owing to lack of circulation; can be classified as wet, dry, or gas; necrotising fasciitis is another form		Gangrene
The branch of medicine that deals with the health care of the elderly		Geriatrics
Common name for rubella		German measles
Common name (in the UK) for infectious mononucleosis – a.k.a. 'the kissing disease'		Glandular fever
GCS – used to assess the conscious state of neurological patients		Glasgow Coma Scale
Condition in which the optic disc is damaged by the pressure in the eyeball		Glaucoma
Group of proteins found in cereal grains, intolerance to which causes the autoimmune disorder known as coeliac disease		Gluten
Enlargement of the thyroid gland, most commonly caused by iodine deficiency, seen as a swelling in the neck; colloquially known as Derbyshire neck		Goitre
Disease caused by excessive levels of uric acid in the blood		Gout
Splinter on one side of a soft bone, especially in a child		Greenstick fracture
The most noticeable sign of the condition known as bruxism is		Grinding the teeth
Gingivitis is an inflammation of the		Gums
Flu virus responsible for the 'Spanish flu' outbreak of 1918; a swine–origin strain caused the so–called 'swine flu' outbreak of 2009		H1N1
Disease characterised by an inability of the blood to clot; caused by a lack of factor VIII (eight) in the blood		Haemophilia
Stopping bleeding (the opposite of haemorrhage)		Haemostasis
Part of the body affected by Dupuytren's contracture		Hand
Common name for seasonal allergic rhinitis or pollinosis		Hay fever
Stimulated by digitalis		Heart
Common name for a myocardial infarction or coronary		Heart attack
Common name for pyrosis (previously known as cardialgia – caused by reflux)		Heartburn
Inguinal, femoral, hiatus, incisional, umbilical, epigastric and spigelian are all types of		Hernia
When of the upper part of the stomach protrudes into the thorax through a tear or weakness in the diaphragm: that's a		Hiatus hernia
Singultus is the Latin name for		Hiccups
Oath sworn by medical graduates, governing professional conduct		Hippocratic
Common name for urticaria		Hives, or nettle rash
Characterised by destruction of the lymph nodes, replacement of reticular cells and giant cells with two nuclei		Hodgkin's disease
Treats the whole body, rather than individual parts and symptoms		Holistic medicine
Antibiotic melitin: obtained from		Honeybee poison
Common name for prepatellar bursitis		Housemaid's knee
Technical name for high blood pressure		Hypertension
Technical name for a fall in blood sugar to abnormal levels (typically below 70 milligrams per decilitre)		Hypoglycaemia
Removal of the uterus		Hysterectomy
A disease that arises spontaneously or has no known cause		Idiopathic
Highly infectious bacterial skin disease: sometimes known as "school sores"		Impetigo
Time between infection and appearance of symptoms		Incubation period
Common name for dyspepsia		Indigestion
Common name for onychocryptosis		Ingrown (toe)nail
Hypothyroidism, a condition that can lead to goitre and (in extreme cases in infants) cretinism, is caused by lack of (element)		Iodine
Pruritus (PRU–rittus) is the medical term for		Itching
Caused by excess bilirubin (bile pigment) in the blood; icterus is another name for		Jaundice
Common name for circadian dysrhythmia (ser–CAY–dian dis–rhythm–ia)		Jet lag
The metabolic state that occurs when the body doesn't have enough carbohydrates or glucose for energy, so it burns body fat instead		Ketosis
Nephr– (e.g. nephritis, nephrectomy), or renal: pertaining to the		Kidney(s)
Part of the body affected by Bright's disease
Renal calculus		Kidney stone
Meniscectomy involves the removal of cartilage from the		Knee
Wound caused by tearing rather than cutting		Laceration
Acid produced in the muscles during intense exercise (once the anaerobic threshold is passed) by the breakdown of glycogen, causing muscle pain and cramp		Lactic
Viral disease, named after village in Nigeria where it was first identified in the 1960s		Lassa fever
Highly addictive tincture of opium, brown in colour, once commonly used as a painkiller		Laudanum
An aperient is a mild form of		Laxative
First appeared at an ex–servicemen's conference in Philadelphia, in 1976		Legionnaires' disease
Common name for Hansen's disease		Leprosy
Actinotherapy: treatment of disease by		Light
Sinovectomy: removal of		Lining of a joint
Form of food poisoning, named after a 19th century pioneer of antiseptic surgery		Listeria
Element used as a mood stabiliser, particularly in treating bipolar disorder		Lithium
Hepatitis and cirrhosis affect the		Liver
Hypermetropia (a congenital defect); presbyopia (a result of ageing)		Long–sightedness
Hypoglycaemia		Low blood sugar
Common name for hypotension		Low blood pressure
Spirometer measures		Lung capacity
Emphysemia and silicosis affect the		Lungs
First recognised in 1975, when a cluster of cases was identified in Connecticut, and named after one of the towns affected; transmitted by the bite of (typically) the deer tick		Lyme disease
Transmitted to man by the anopheles mosquito; said to be responsible for 50% of all human deaths since the stone age; also known as jungle fever or marsh fever; blackwater fever is a variety of; quinine was originally a treatment for		Malaria
Morbilli and rubeola are alternative names for		Measles
Koplik's spots – forming in the mouth – are an early sign of
Inflammation of the membranes that protect the brain and spinal chord		Meningitis
Minamata disease – named after a city in Japan where thousands of people suffered due to industrial pollution – is a result of poisoning by		Mercury
In acupuncture, the channels that carry vital energy around the body		Meridians
The most effective treatment for addiction to heroin and other narcotics (opioids) – developed in Germany in 1937		Methadone
Familiar condition, characterised by a persistent unilateral headache: name derived from hemicrania (continua) – literally "half a head" (or, perhaps more accurately, "half a skull")		Migraine
Yellow fever is carried and transmitted to humans by		Mosquitos
Epidemic parotitis (inflammation of the parotid glands – normally occurring in childhood) is commonly known as		Mumps
Presenting at different hospitals with different but spurious symptoms		Munchausen syndrome
Myalgia is pain in the		Muscles
Shortsightedness		Myopia
Original (British) name – coined by Sir Donald Acheson in 1956 – for what later became known (especially in the USA) as chronic (or post–viral) fatigue syndrome, informally as Yuppie 'flu; abbreviated to ME		Myalgic encephalomyelitis
Term used to refer to an infant in the first 28 days after birth		Neonate
Specialty concerned with the nervous system		Neurology
The Apgar test (named after the American doctor who invented it) is performed on		New–born babies
Common name for nictalopia		Night blindness
Entonox – a.k.a. 'gas and air', used for pain relief in childbirth and other clinical procedures – is a 50–50 mixture of oxygen and		Nitrous oxide
Common name for epistaxis		Nosebleed
Common name for a rhinoplasty		Nose job
Disease that must be reported to the authorities		Notifiable
Bariatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the causes, prevention, and treatment of		Obesity
Management of childbirth		Obstetrics
Laudanum – freely available from pharmacists in the 18th century – is a tincture of; morphine and codeine are derived from		Opium
Correcting bones and muscles by manipulation		Osteopathy
Anodyne drug		Painkiller
Common name for the most familiar form of paresthesia		Pins & needles
Disease named by the 19th century French neurologist Jean–Martin Charcot, after the English physician who first described it in 1817; previously known as paralysis agitans or 'the shaking palsy'; treated since 1967 with L–Dopa (levodopa).		Parkinson's disease
Study of disease and diseased tissue		Pathology
The first antibiotic (discovered in 1928)		Penicillin
Emmetropia		Perfect vision
Bromhidrosis (cf. bromodosis) is the technical name for excessive		Perspiration
Craving for specific foods (common in pregnancy)		Pica
Putting a second heart alongside a patient's own		Piggyback operation
Inactive substance used as a control in tests to compare the effects of a drug, or to humour a patient (Latin: 'I shall please')		Placebo
Spread by the bacterium Yersinia pestis		Plague (bubonic or pneumonic)
Anaplasty		Plastic surgery
Inflammation of the membrane that covers the lungs and lines the chest cavity		Pleurisy
Small hammer with a rubber head, used in "percussive diagnosis" (e.g. in chest examinations or in testing reflexes at the knee)		Plexor
The Salk and Sabin vaccines guard against		Poliomyelitis (polio)
The Kenny Method (named after the nurse who developed it) is used to treat
Soft moist application to the body, used to soothe pain or promote the formation of an abscess		Poultice
"Gravidity" is the technical name for		Pregnancy
Common name for miliaria rubra		Prickly heat (or heat rash)
Forecast of the likely course and outcome of a condition		Prognosis
Artificial body part		Prosthesis
Disease caught by humans from parrots or other birds; named after one of the three families of true parrots		Psittacosis
High body temperature or fever		Pyrexia
Medicine obtained from the chinchona tree		Quinine
Hydrophobia: alternative name for, or symptom of		Rabies
Part of the body affected by proctitis		Rectum
Treatment of various conditions by massaging the feet (an "alternative therapy")		Reflexology
Defibrillator		Regularises heartbeat
What does an analgesic do?		Relieves pain
Common name for Ekbom's syndrome (strictly, Wittmaack–Ekbom's syndrome)		Restless leg syndrome
What does an analeptic do?		Restores consciousness
Popular but indefinite name for a variety of disorders of the muscles and joints: can include arthritis, osteoarthritis, fibrositis (a.k.a. fibromyalgia), bursitis and sciatica		Rheumatism
Disease, mainly of children: characterised by softening of the bones (osteomalacia), often leading to bow legs; caused by a deficiency of Vitamin D		Rickets
Common (historical) name for Sydenham's chorea		St. Vitus's Dance
Common name for a cicatrice; a keloid is a type of		Scar
Dick test: tests for immunity to		Scarlet fever
Medical name for a sideways curvature of the spine		Scoliosis
The King's Evil (tuberculosis of the lymphatic glands)		Scrofula
Scotopia or scotopic vision		Seeing in the dark
Common name for the viral disease herpes zoster		Shingles
Cutaneous: pertaining to the		Skin
Trepanation or trepanning: drilling holes in the		Skull
Narcolepsy is a pathological condition characterised by sudden and uncontrollable episodes of		Sleep
Common name for trypanosomiasis – a disease spread by the Tsetse fly		Sleeping sickness
Chaga's disease is a South American variety of
Variola (declared eradicated by the WHO in 1979)		Smallpox
Anosmia: loss of		Smell (sense of)
Bromodosis (cf. bromhidrosis) is the technical term for		Smelly feet
Common name for sternutation		Sneezing
Metallic element (atomic number 11): essential in regulating blood volume and blood pressure		Sodium
Part of the body affected by kyphosis, lordosis, and scoliosis		Spine
Regulates the supply of red blood cells in the circulation by destroying old cells; also stores iron; sometimes said to 'purify' the blood		Spleen
Common name for strabismus		Squint
Man–made tube inserted into a passage in the body (e.g. an artery) to remove a restriction – origin obscure		Stent
Common name for (a) suture		Stitch or stitching
Borborygmus is the technical name for		Stomach rumbling
Common name for a hordeolum		Stye
Dysphagia is difficulty in		Swallowing
The Wasserman test is a test for		Syphilis
Unusually fast heart rate		Tachycardia
Ageusia (ae–gee–oozia), hypogeusia, hypergeusia and phantogeusia are disorders affecting the sense of		Taste
Oil of cloves is traditionally used to relieve pain in the		Teeth
Common name for lateral epicondylitis (first described in 1883)		Tennis elbow
Orchidectomy is the removal of; orchitis or orchiditis is an inflammation of; a polyorchid is a man with more than two		Testicle(s)
Lockjaw is a common name for (or a symptom of)		Tetanus
't.i.d.', on a prescription, means		Three times daily
Trachaeotomy is a procedure to open the		Throat
Part of the body affected by Graves's disease; goitre is enlargement of, and cretinism is caused by failure of, the		Thyroid gland
Solution of a drug in alcohol		Tincture
Condition characterised by ringing, buzzing, hissing, or booming in the ears		Tinnitus
Glossa in Greek; glossitis is an inflammation of, and glossectomy is the removal of, the		Tongue
Quinsy is an inflammation of the		Tonsils
Common name for odontalgia		Toothache
The world's most common non–infectious disease		Tooth decay
Strapped round a limb to control bleeding		Tourniquet
Chronic eye infection – the most common cause of blindness		Trachoma
Also known as consumption, or (the great) white plague; estimated to have been around for up to 3 million years; known as phthisis in ancient Greece, tabes in ancient Rome, schachepheth in ancient Hebrew; described by John Bunyan as "Captain of all these men of death"		Tuberculosis
German bacteriologist Robert Koch won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1905, 23 years after discovering the bacillus that causes
BCG vaccine (Bacille Calmette–Guérin) inoculates against
The Mantoux test is used to diagnose and screen for
Can be monozygotic or dizygotic		Twins
Infectious disease (actually a group of three), spread by parasitic insects: first described in 1528; once common, but now rare; the disease known as 'gaol fever', common in prisons up to the 19th century, has been identified with it		Typhus
Spondylitis is an inflammation of the		Vertebrae
Common name for a plantar wart		Verucca
Phlebitis, phlebotomy: inflammation or opening (respectively) of a		Vein
Skin condition, characterised by patches of the skin losing their pigment – particularly noticeable in people with dark skin		Vitiligo
Aphonia: loss of		Voice
Emesis: induced by an emetic drug, treated with an anti–emetic		Vomiting (or nausea)
Used to prevent blood clotting, and also as a rat poison		Warfarin
Hydrocephalus: non–technical name		Water on the brain
Common name for pertussis		Whooping Cough
Carpal tunnel syndrome (long blamed on typing, but now thought to have other causes) arises from the entrapment of a nerve in the		Wrist
Chorea scriptorium, mogigraphia, graphospasm, or scrivener's palsy		Writer's cramp
'Oscitatio', or 'oscitation', is the medical name for		Yawning
Tropical disease characterised by production of excess bilirubin (the waste product that results from the breakdown of haemoglobin)		Yellow fever
Common name for myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)		Yuppie 'flu
Mosquito–borne virus, causing mild and short–lived symptoms in adults but linked to brain malformations in unborn babies; in 2016, pregnant women were advised not to travel to South America after an outbreak began in Brazil in 2015		Zika
Disease caught by humans from animals (e.g. ringworm, rabies)		Zoonosis

© Haydn Thompson 2017–24