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Bursa (Bursitis)
A small sac containing fluid which protects part of the body from injury. It is usually found over some prominent bone which it cushions. If a bursa becomes inflamed it is known as bursitis. This most commonly occurs in the feet, Elbows and knees. There jis a small bursa at the base of each of [...]
Burns
Injury caused by excessive heat to part of the body so as to damage jor kills the tissues. It may be due to a flame, a hot object, excessive sunlight, or boiling water when the condition is called a SCALD. There is no pratical difference between a burn and scald. Burns may also [...]
Bronchoscopy - Brucellosis - Bruises
Bronchoscopy
A procedure whereby the specialist uses an illuminated tube to look down the large breathing tubes and by which he can detect certain illnesses and take samples for testing.
Brucellosis
Infection caught by contact with infected cattle or their milk and characterized by intermittent fever, aches and pains. As symptoms are vague it is difficult to [...]
Bronchioles
A severe infection of the smallest breathing tubes in babies. Any baby with breathing difficulty needs urgent medical attention. A humid warm atmosphere helps temporarily. (See CROUP)
Bronchiectasis
A chronic lung infection due to weakness and distortion of the smaller breathing tubes or bronchi. It can sometimes be helped by an operation to remove the affected part of the lung. If can be an after-effect of whooping cough and is one good reason for having infants immunized in the first year [...]
Blood Transfusion
This technique of transferring blood from a healthy donor to a patient saves many lives. Operations, once impossible, can be performed with relative safety, and accident cases, perhaps bleeding after childbirth, have a better chance of recovery, as have some kinds of anemia; “Blood banks” are kept to be readily available in emergency, and [...]
Blood Pressure
The heart is a specially adapted muscle which pumps blood through blood vessels around the body. This results in the blood being under pressure, and since the vessels become hardened with age, and have less “give”, the blood pressure tends to rise. It is thus normal to have a rather higher blood presume [...]
Blood Groups
Blood can be divided into four main groups- A, B, O and AB. These depend on the presence or absence of antibodies which will attack and break down the red cells of a deferens group, e.g. if blood group A is given to a patient of group O-the antibodies of the patient destroy the transfused [...]
Blackheads
Small black spots in the skin due to a collection of debris in the openings of the hair follicles. The general treatment for ACNE and blackheads is the same, and the two conditions are commonly found together.