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bronchitis

(Encyclopedia)bronchitis brŏnkīˈtĭs [key], inflammation of the mucous membrane of the bronchial tubes. It can be caused by viral or bacterial infections or by allergic reactions to irritants such as tobacco smo...

skin patch

(Encyclopedia)skin patch, transdermal patch, or transdermal delivery system, adhesive patch used to deliver a controlled dose of a drug through the skin over a period of time. A skin patch uses a special membrane ...

cancer, in medicine

(Encyclopedia)cancer, in medicine, common term for neoplasms, or tumors, that are malignant. Like benign tumors, malignant tumors do not respond to body mechanisms that limit cell growth. Unlike benign tumors, mali...

Chadwick, Sir Edwin

(Encyclopedia)Chadwick, Sir Edwin, 1800–1890, English social reformer. For many years an assistant to Jeremy Bentham, Chadwick applied Bentham's utilitarianism to the reform (1834) of the Poor Law and to the deve...

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

(Encyclopedia)Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, charitable organization devoted exclusively to health care issues. It was established in 1936 by Robert Wood Johnson (1893–1968), board chairman of the Johnson & ...

cerebral palsy

(Encyclopedia)cerebral palsy sərēˈbrəl pôlˈzē [key], disability caused by brain damage before or during birth or in the first years, resulting in a loss of voluntary muscular control and coordination. Althou...

ultraviolet radiation

(Encyclopedia)ultraviolet radiation, invisible electromagnetic radiation between visible violet light and X rays; it ranges in wavelength from about 400 to 4 nanometers and in frequency from about 1015 to 1017 hert...

Food and Drug Administration

(Encyclopedia)Food and Drug Administration (FDA), agency of the Public Health Service division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is charged with protecting public health by ensuring that foods...

nicotiana

(Encyclopedia)nicotiana nĭkōˌshēāˈnə [key], any plant of the genus Nicotiana of the family Solanaceae (nightshade family). Most species are herbs native to tropical America, although there are a few North Am...

Resnais, Alain

(Encyclopedia)Resnais, Alain älăNˈ rānāˈ [key], 1922–2014, French filmmaker. Although not an official member of the French cinema's New Wave movement, he shared its innovative and personal approach to style...