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Mephibosheth

(Encyclopedia)Mephibosheth mĭfĭbˈəshĕth [key], in the Bible. 1 Jonathan's lame. David restored Saul's lands to him, and spared him when he gave the Gibeonites seven of Saul's descendants to settle a blood debt...

scar

(Encyclopedia)scar, fibrous connective tissue that forms at the site of injury or disease in any tissue of the body. Scar tissue may replace injured skin and underlying muscle, damaged heart muscle, or diseased are...

Sagan, Françoise

(Encyclopedia)Sagan, Françoise kwärĕzˈ [key], 1935–2004, French novelist, b. Françoise Quoirez. She became famous with her precocious first book, Bonjour tristesse (1954, tr. 1955), a bittersweetly amoral po...

congestive heart failure

(Encyclopedia)congestive heart failure, inability of the heart to expel sufficient blood to keep pace with the metabolic demands of the body. In the healthy individual the heart can tolerate large increases of work...

connective tissue

(Encyclopedia)connective tissue, supportive tissue widely distributed in the body, characterized by large amounts of intercellular substance and relatively few cells. The intercellular material, or matrix, is produ...

ophthalmology

(Encyclopedia)ophthalmology ŏfˌthălmŏlˈəjē [key], branch of medicine specializing in the anatomy, function and diseases of the eye. Ophthalmologists specialize in the medical and surgical treatment of eye di...

urea

(Encyclopedia)CE5 urea yo͝oēˈə [key], organic compound that is the principal end product of nitrogen metabolism in most mammals. Urea was the first animal metabolite to be isolated in crystalline form; its c...

enzyme

(Encyclopedia)enzyme, biological catalyst. The term enzyme comes from zymosis, the Greek word for fermentation, a process accomplished by yeast cells and long known to the brewing industry, which occupied the atten...

heroin

(Encyclopedia)heroin hĕˈrəwən [key], opiate drug synthesized from morphine (see narcotic). Originally produced in 1874, it was thought to be not only nonaddictive but useful as a cure for respiratory illness an...

Garden of the Gods

(Encyclopedia)Garden of the Gods, park, 770 acres (312 hectares), central Colo., near Colorado Springs; noted for its unusual, multicolored rock formations. Narrow-crested sandstone hills and ridges have been erode...