See Also: Herbal medicine (botanical medicine, herbology, phytomedicine)(health)
Background(money)
background(dictionary)
background(dictionary)
background retinopathy(medicine)
background radiation(medicine)
background level(medicine)
Background Retinopathy(health)
cosmic background radiation(encyclopedia)
Medicine Lodge Memorial Hospital- Medicine Lodge(health)

background radiation (medicine) and pill (medicine)


background radiation (medicine)


background radiation
<radiobiology> Level of environmental radation due to background sources. Background sources can be natural, such as cosmic rays and natural radioactive elements (principally radon, but including Other elements such as isotopes of potassium (which people get substantial amounts of in foods like bananas)).

They can also be man-made, such as from fossil-fuel combustion, everyday leakage from nuclear activities, and leftover from atmospheric nuclear weapons tests. Background radiation is usually distinguished from acute radiation, such as from medical X-rays, nuclear accidents, radioisotope therapy, or Other short-term doses.

The man-made contribution to background radiation is quite small compared to the natural contribution, medical uses dominate human exposure to acute radiation.


pill (medicine)


pill


The peel or skin. "Some be covered over with crusts, or hard pills, as the locusts."

Origin: Cf. Peel skin, or Pillion.

1. To deprive of hair; to make bald.

2. To peel; to make by removing the skin. "[Jacob] pilled white streaks . . . In the rods." (Gen. Xxx. 37)

Origin: Cf. L. Pilare to deprive of hair, and E. Pill, n. (above).

1. A medicine in the form of a little ball, or small round mass, to be swallowed whole.

2. Figuratively, something offensive or nauseous which must be accepted or endured.

<zoology> Pill beetle, any terrestrial isopod of the genus Armadillo, having the habit of rolling itself into a ball when disturbed.

Synonym: pill wood louse.

Origin: F. Pilute, L. Pilula a pill, little ball, dim. Of L. Pila a ball. Cf. Piles.

Source: Websters Dictionary