Glossary
P
patient trolley
used to transport patients between wards and departments
patron saint
A saint believed to protect or guide a place or particular group of people.
payment book
A book recording payments to a bank or society.
pen - drawing and writing
Hand-held instrument for writing or drawing with a colored fluid such as ink. A pen generally comprises a handle or holder and a pointed tip for distributing the fluid on the drawing surface. The term may also refer to an instrument for machine-controlled writing or drawing with ink.
pendant
Hanging articles of jewellery, usually suspended from a necklace, but also includes Renaissance examples fastened to the sleeve often worn as decorative ornaments; can also be an article of devotional, magical, or mourning jewelry which then may sometimes be concealed under clothing.
penicillin
The first antibiotic drug to treat infections which is made from the mould penicillium. Its discovery is attributed to Alexander Fleming in 1928.
penicillium mould
A collective growth of penicillium caused by bacteria. This was how penicillin was first discovered and grown by Alexander Fleming.
percussion
Practice where a doctor taps on parts of the patient’s body with his fingers or an instrument called a plessor. The resulting sounds and vibrations reveal the presence of fluid or tissue that has hardened.
percussor
A small hammer, usually with soft rubber head, used to tap the body directly, in percussion of the chest or other part.
perfusion pump
used for artifical perfusion
period
Common term for vaginal bleeding, which happens once a month as part of a female's menstrual cycle. Periods usually last from one to five days and begin when a girl reaches puberty.
periodical
A magazine or journal that is published at various intervals.
Personal Information Carrier
A biometric card containing medical history and personal details of the carrier.
personal weigher
weighing machine or device specifically for determing the weight of an individual person, usually but not always in a domestic environment. Characterised by weighing platform or chair, based on the steelyard lever principle (Distinct from bathroom scales)
pessary
An object placed in the vagina and used to deliver medicine, as a contraceptive or as a muscle support.
pestle
An elongated piece of hard material usually made of stone. A pestle is used for grinding pigments, herbs, spices or other materials in a mortar.
Petri dish
A shallow dish used in science to grow micro-organisms. A Petri dish is circular, transparent and has a lid.
pH and blood gas analyser
A machine used to detect the pH level of blood. The pressure of oxygen and carbon dioxide can also be measured.
phage typer
A machine used to identify phages - a virus that attacks bacteria.
phallus
An object shaped like a penis