Glossary
O
objective
The lens in a microscope that is nearest to the object being examined.
obsidian
A black or very dark volcanic rock. Obsidian was shattered into very sharp blades and sometimes used as a tool for working marble on a small scale.
obstetrical forceps
An instrument used to assist the delivery of a foetus, usually during a birth where complications have developed. Numerous variations have been developed over time. The fundamental design has two separate looped blades with handles. These interlock to form a grasping instrument.
obstetrical phantom
A life size model of a female pelvic region used to train medical students in child delivery.
obstetrical vectis
A simple instrument resembling a single blade of an obstetric forceps. It is used during childbirth to assist the delivery of an obstructed foetus. Also known as ‘levers’.
obstetrics
A branch of medicine dealing with the care of women. This care occurs during pregnancy, childbirth, and the period of recovery from childbirth.
occipital crochet
Instrument used to measure the occipital bone at the back of the head.
oesophagus
The oesophagus connects the throat to the stomach. In humans and other vertebrates it is a muscular tube lined with mucous membrane.
oestrogen
A female hormone. Oestrogen is first produced by a girl at puberty. It regulates the menstrual cycle and prepares the uterus for pregnancy. Oestrogen is present in males, but in very low levels.
oil bottle
bottle for perfumed oil
ointment pot
Container for ointment - a smooth greasy healing preparation usually applied to the skin.
ophthalmic instrument
An instrument used in eye surgery.
ophthalmic instrument set
Group of instruments used by surgeons to perform ophthalmic operations, which are operations that deal with the visual pathways (usually the eyes or brain)
ophthalmology
The branch of medicine dealing with the diseases and surgery of the visual pathways (usually the eyes or the brain).
ophthalmoscope
An instrument for viewing the interior of the eye, particularly the retina. Light is shone into the eye via a mirror (usually concave) and then examined with or without the aid of a lens. Invented by by Hermann Von Helmholtz in 1850
opium
A drug derived from the opium poppy. It has been used to cause sleep and provide pain relief for many centuries.
opium pipe
An opium pipe is a pipe designed for the vaporization and inhalation of opium. True opium pipes allow for the drug to be vaporized while being heated over a special oil lamp known as an opium lamp. It is thought that this manner of "smoking" opium began in the seventeenth century when a special pipe was developed that vaporized opium instead of burning it.
optical instruments
A device used to observe and/or measure light. It can give an enhanced image for viewing or scientific analysis.
optical puzzle
puzzle that is solved using an optical illusion
optical toy
Toys that provide visual stimulus and entertainment through various optical principles, such as persistence of vision, projection and other optical effects and demonstrations.
optics
A branch of physics that deals with the properties and behaviour of both visible and invisible light. The field includes the generation, transmission, and detection or perception of light.
optometer
An instrument for measuring the refractive properties of the eye
optometry
The professional practice of eye and vision care. Optometry includes the correction of visual defects with lenses or glasses.
oral contraceptive pill
A drug containing hormones, taken to stop pregnancy.
oral rehydration salts
A cheap and effective treatment for dehydration. The salts are usually a solution of sugar and salts taken orally. They are used in the developing world to save children from death by diarrhoea.
orthopaedic boot
Type of footwear for the easing or correction of club foot or other deformities of the feet.
orthopaedic equipment
Relates to equipment for the treatment of physical deformities,and surgical treatment of the musculoskeletal system.
orthopaedic saw
A saw used for orthopaedic surgery. Orthopaedic surgery is the branch of surgery concerned with injuries to, or conditions involving, the musculoskeletal system.
orthopaedic support
A support for part of the human body such as the back or a leg
orthopaedics
The branch of medicine concerned with the preservation and restoration of the muscular and skeletal systems in the body.
orthoptoscope
An instrument for assessing the degree to which a person uses both eyes. It is also used to measure the angle of a squint.
Ottoman empire
Former Turkish empire that controlled much of south east Europe, the Middle East and North Africa between the 14th and 20th centuries.
ovariotomy
The operation of removing one or both of the ovaries
ovocyclin
form of estrogen hormone. It is produced in the ovary, placenta, testis, and possibly the adrenal cortex.
oxytetracycline
an antibiotic (penicillin) administered by mouth to treat infections caused by a wide variety of bacteria; Terramycin is a trade mark of Pfizer Products Inc.:oxytetracyline and derivatives thereof, and substances containing oxytetracyline or derivatives thereof, all prepared for use as antibiotics, first registered in 1954