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Reye's syndrome

(Encyclopedia)Reye's syndrome rīz [key], rare but life-threatening disease characterized by acute encephalopathy and fatty infiltration of internal organs, especially the liver. It occurs almost entirely in childr...

conjunctivitis

(Encyclopedia)conjunctivitis kənjəngtəvīˈtəs [key], inflammation or infection of the mucosal membrane that covers the eyeball and lines the eyelid, usually acute, caused by a virus or, less often, by a bacill...

gout

(Encyclopedia)gout, condition that manifests itself as recurrent attacks of acute arthritis, which may become chronic and deforming. It results from deposits of uric acid crystals in connective tissue or joints. Th...

Brooke, Henry

(Encyclopedia)Brooke, Henry, c.1703–1783, Irish author. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin, he studied law in London before returning to Ireland permanently. In 1735 he published his long philosophical poem, Uni...

Chamfort, Sébastien Roch Nicolas

(Encyclopedia)Chamfort, Sébastien Roch Nicolas sābästyăNˈ rōk nēkōläˈ shäNfôrˈ [key], 1740–94, French writer. He is remembered only for his maxims and epigrams. His acute observations on literature, ...

chloral hydrate

(Encyclopedia)chloral hydrate klōrˈəl hīˈdrāt [key], central nervous system depressant that is widely used as a hypnotic, or sleep-inducing drug. Chloral hydrate is the common ingredient, along with alcohol, ...

Fitz, Reginald Heber

(Encyclopedia)Fitz, Reginald Heber, 1843–1913, American pathologist, b. Chelsea, Mass., M.D. Harvard, 1868. He studied under Virchow, and in 1870 he returned to Harvard, where he introduced Virchow's methods and ...

sty

(Encyclopedia)sty, in medicine, acute localized infection of one or more of the glands of the eyelid, with pain, swelling, and redness of the lid margin, usually caused by a staphylococcus infection. An external st...

norovirus

(Encyclopedia)norovirus or Norwalk virus, highly contagious viral disease caused by infection with an RNA virus of the genus Norovirus. The virus causes acute gastroenteritis, usually one to two days after infectio...

Tallemant des Réaux, Gédéon

(Encyclopedia)Tallemant des Réaux, Gédéon zhādāôNˈ täləmäNˈ dā rāōˈ [key], 1619–92, French writer. His one great work is a series of brief anecdotal portraits of persons prominent in the Paris of h...