Glossary
S
safe sex kit
Set of items and information leaflets designed to encourage safe sex. Would include condoms and guide to their application as well as other information.
safety pin
Pins for fastening separate articles, as garments, bent back on itself so as to form a spring, and with a guard or sheath to cover the point and prevent accidental unfastening.
salamander
A type of amphibian found worldwide, except in Australia and the polar regions. It has an elongated body, a long tail and short legs.
salivette
A trademarked device for saliva sampling.
salmonella
A bacteria that inhabits the intestines of animals and humans, causing infection.
Salvarsan kit
Also known as Arsphenamine or 606, Salvarsan is a synthetic form of arsenic that is used to treat syphilis.
sample
Individual units, segments, or small quantities taken as evidence of the quality or character of the entire group or lot
samples
Individual units, segments, or small quantities taken as evidence of the quality or character of the entire group or lot. W.
sanitary reform
Reforms designed to improve working and living conditions. In the 1800s these were particularly targeted at the working class population.
sarsaparilla
a preparation of the dried rhizomes of various plants, especially smilax, used to flavour some drinks and medicines and formerly as a tonic.
satire
An artistic form where human actions and errors are mocked.
scales - weighing device
Instruments for determining the weight of objects or substances.
scalpel
A small thin sharp blade used by surgeons.
scanning tunnelling microscope
Scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is a non-optical microscope that scans an electrical probe over a surface to be imaged to detect a weak electric current flowing between the tip and the surface
scarification
The process of making a series of cuts or scratches in the skin to allow a substance to enter the body.
scarificator
A surgical instrument with several spring-operated lancets, used to break the skin.
scarlet fever
An acute contagious disease caused by streptococcus bacteria occurring predominantly among children and characterized by a scarlet skin eruption and high fever.
sciatica
Syndrome characterised by pain radiating from the back into the buttock and into the lower extremity the term is also used to refer to pain anywhere along the course of the sciatic nerve (the hip region).
scissors
Cutting tool consisting of two bevel-edged cutting blades with handles and being movable past one another on a pivot in the center by which they are held together.
sclera
The white fibrous outer layer of the eyeball. It covers approximately the five sixths of its surface and continuous anteriorly with the cornea and posteriorly with the external sheath of the optic nerve.
Scold's bridle
A punishment for women who spoke too much or were troublesome. Also referred to as 'the brank' or 'branks', it consisted of an iron cage that covered the head with a gag that projected into the mouth. This gag was often studded to heighten the punishment.
scoop
A long handled spoon like instrument used for scraping parts of the body, or extracting foreign bodies.
scraper
Any of various tools used for scraping, producing a clean or a smooth finished surface, cutting grooves, or shaping objects by scraping away superfluous material.
screwbarrel microscope
A microscope that can be separated into many pieces and carried in a case.
scrofula
A disease that leads to a swelling of the neck, and inflammations of the skin, bones and joints. It was once believed that the touch of a king could cure the disease, hence its alternative name: ‘King's Evil’.
scroll
A roll, as of parchment or papyrus, used especially for writing a document.
scurvy
Disease caused by a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), which is contained in fresh fruit and vegetables. Symptoms include weakness, painful joints, and bleeding gums.
seal - artefact
Refers to artefact bearing monograms, writing, numbers, symbols, or designs in intaglio that are used for making an impression in relief on some soft, tenacious substance such as clay or wax. They may be flat or cylindrical, the impression made by rolling the seal over the surface. The term also refers to the impressions that have been made in wax, clay, or another soft material by the impact of a seal or other hard engraved surface. Seals are generally used to authenticate documents or for decoration.
sedan chair
Portable chair consisting of canvas hung on two long poles. Sedan chairs were sometimes used to transport the sick.
sedative
Drugs used for their calming effect, to reduce anxiety and tension. At high doses they cause sleep.
seizure
A sudden attack caused by a disorder, in particular a convulsion.
semisynthetic
a substance that is prepared synthetically but derives from a naturally occurring material
sepulchral slab
Stone slab used to mark the site of a grave
sepulchral vase
Piece of sepulchral sculpture in the form of a vase form part of a tomb
serrenoeud
An instrument for tightening a ligature
sexually transmitted infection
Any disease transmitted by sexual intercourse. STIs include HIV/AIDS, syphilis, gonorrhoea, some chlamydia infections and genital herpes.
shaving bowl
Bowl used by barber or shaver,used either to collect blood from shaving cuts, or to rest razor during pauses in shaving.
sheep
trial term
sheet music
Music printed on unbound sheets of paper.
sheet music cover
cover for sheet music
Shintoism
The native religion of Japan. It involves the worship of spirits representing a place, a natural object or process, or the spirits of ancestors.
shoe
A durable covering for the human foot, made of leather or similar material with a rigid sole and heel, usually extending no higher than the ankle.
shop sign
Use broadly for signs identifying places of business.
short-sightedness
A defect of the eye where images are produced in front of the retina rather than on it. This causes object that are close to the viewer to appear blurred. Usually treated with glasses or corrective surgery.
shoulder flash
something worn on the shoulder of a military uniform as an emblem of a division etc.
shrine
Originally a container, usually made of precious materials, used especially for a relic and often a cult image. Today it has come to mean a holy or sacred place that is visited by believers.
sick siphon
Scroll shaped silver tube with a hook on one side to attach it to a cup of liquid. The lower end is closed by a hinged and pierced cover to strain the food.
SIDS
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the unexpected death of an infant of less than two years old. The term is only applied to a death that remains unexplained after post-mortem investigation.
sight developing apparatus
apparatus designed to aid or improve sight or sight deficiencies, such as glasses or monacle.
sight testing apparatus
Apparatus used in tests on sight
sign
An entity that signifies another entity. Often a publicly displayed board giving information
sign - promotional or advertising artefact
Lettered notice or other display that bear names, directions, warnings, advertisements, or symbols that are displayed or posted for public view. For smaller, less public identifying notices, use "labels (identifying artifacts)." For systems of signs arranged to communicate directions or essential information, use "signage."
silicone implant
An implant that is inserted into the body by surgery, typically to enhance a particular area (commonly breasts). Silicon is a synthetic material that remains unaltered by changes in temperature and is resistant to chemical attack.
silkworm
Moth caterpillar that feeds chiefly on mulberry leaves. The common domesticated Bombyx mori is raised commercially for its silk cocoon
single eyeglass - quizzing
Eyeglasses consisting of a single lens in frame with long handle, but without nosepiece, used to compensate for defective vision in one eye. Handle usually fitted with ring for carrying ribbon or cord.
skeleton
The bones or bony framework of an animal body considered as a whole; also, more generally, the harder (supporting or covering) constituent part of an animal organism.
skin grafting
A process to move skin from one part of the body to another. Usually carried out as treatment for burns or other extensive skin wounds.
skull
The skeleton of the head of a vertebrate animal, including the brain case, or cranium, and the bones and cartilages of the face and mouth. The skull can be subdivided into two parts: the cranium and the mandible. The human skull is made up from 22 bones.
skull saw
A saw used to cut through the skull. This was often used in preperation for brain surgery.
skyphos
drinking cup
slab
A broad, flat, thick piece of pottery or metal
sleeping sickness
A serious disease that is common in much of tropical Africa, transmitted by tsetse flies. Symptoms include fever, headache, lethargy, confusion, tremors, and loss of weight.
slide rule
Simple mechanical device used for calculations such as multiplication and division.
smallpox
Smallpox is an infectious virus unique to humans. It results in a characteristic skin rash and fluid-filled blisters. After successful vaccination campaigns throughout the 1800s and 1900s, the World Health Organisation certified the eradication of smallpox in 1979. Smallpox is the only human infectious disease to have been completely wiped out.
smelling salts
Used to arouse consciousness. The salts release a small amount of ammonia, which triggers the nasal passage's inhalation reflex.
smoking
A practice where a substance, most commonly tobacco is burned and the smoke inhaled. It is currently practiced by over one billion people worldwide (2008)
Snellen test types
Chart used for vision testing. The chart shows lines of black letters varying in size from large to small down the chart. Which a patient is asked to read. The optician is able to tell the level of the patient's eyesight when s/he can not read any further.
snuff
Tobacco that has been finely powdered. Snuff is usually sniffed through the nose, or applied to the gums with a finger.
snuff box
a small usually ornamental container for holding snuff Boxes, usually having a hinged lid and small enough to be carried in the pocket, used for holding snuff
snuff jar
a box or jar used for holding snuff, usually small enough to be carried in the pocket.
song
Musical compositions, generally short, containing words. Colloquially, the term song has come to be applied to any short compositions with or without words. This is considered incorrect in the genres of jazz, brass band, classical and popular music.
spa
A resort with mineral springs which are thought to have properties that help cure or soothe illnesses.
specific fever
Produced by a peculiar poison, or an exclusive or specific cause, and the fever runs, or strongly tends to run, to a definite course which can be used to identify the fever; an example is yellow fever
specimen
Individual sample or unit that is deliberately selected for examination, display, or study, and is usually chosen as typical of its kind.
specimen container
Container used to transport specimens from patients to the laboratory, often a urine sample.
spectacle case
case for spectacles
spectacles
Pair of eyeglasses to compensate for defective vision or to protect the eyes from light, dust, and the like. Kept in place by sidepieces passing over the ears, on the nose or held in the hand.
spectroscope
Optical instrument that disperses visible light into a spectrum using prisms or gratings, which can be observed and analysed. Used mainly in astronomy and chemistry, variants include spectrographs that record spectra & spectrometers that have scale for direct wavelength measurement
spectroscopy
Branch of optics dealing with the measurement of the wavelength and intensity of a spectrum.
speculum
Instrument for dilating certain passages of the body, and throwing light within them, thus facilitating examination or surgical operations; Types incluse ear, nasal, vaginal, anal or rectal
sphygmograph
An instrument used to measure the pulse. It records the strength and rate of a person's pulse. Records are recorded on graph paper.
sphygmomanometer
An instrument used by medical staff to measure blood pressure. Usually made up of a cuff which is placed around the arm of a patient, and a measuring unit that shows the patient's blood pressure.
spina bifida
A defect in which a newborn baby has part of the spinal cord, and its coverings, exposed through a gap in the backbone.
spinal column
The series of vertebrae that extend from the cranium to the coccyx, providing support and forming a flexible bony case for the spinal cord.
spirit bubble
A bubble of air trapped within an enclosed tube filled with liquid. When the tube is placed on top of surface and the bubble is lined up in the middle, the surface is level.
spirit lamp
A lamp, used in laboratory work, which burns alcohol as fuel.
spirit sticks
Dense and combustible wood or materials that were ignited because they emitted a lot of smoke. Native North Americans used these to repel mosquitoes or other insects, this was sometimes even done inside a tent.
spirometer
An apparatus for measuring the amount of air that the lungs take in and breathe out.
spitting
The act of ejecting saliva from the mouth.
spittoon
Large containers serving as places to spit. Associated with chewing tobacco.
splint
A rigid device of plastic, wood or plaster that serves to immobilize or support an injury. Generally strapped alongside an injured limb.
spontaneous generation
The supposed production of living organisms from non-living matter, a common belief until the 1800s.
spoon
A utensil consiting of an oval or round end-piece (bowl) and a handle for conveying food, especially liquid, to the mouth, or employed in the culinary preparation of this.
spout - container component
Tubular protruberance through which the contents of a vessel may be poured or sometimes drunk.
spray gun
Implements used for spraying paint or other substances over large areas.
spring balance
Balance in which the weight of the sample or the exertion of a force is balanced and thus measured by the extension of a spring.
sputum
Material coughed up from the chest and throat. Its characteristics (colour, texture, etc.) often provide important information affecting the diagnosis of respiratory disease.
sputum bottle
used to safely dispose sputum and spit from tuberculosis patients
staff
A stick carried in the hand as an aid in walking or climbing. Usually broader or longer than a walking stick.
staining
A technique in which cells or thin sections of biological tissue are placed in coloured dyes (stains) to make them visible through a microscope. Staining heightens the contrast between transparent cell or tissue components.
staining apparatus
used to stain blood film preparations
stamp
Instruments for stamping, such as dies or tools for impressing or marking a design or pattern on metal, paper, or other soft or absorbent material.
stand - support furniture
Small often tablelike pieces of furniture used for holding or displaying objects.
State Registered Nurse
A State Registered Nurse (SRN) is a person who practises nursing and who has been trained to a level that meets the standards of the Nursing and Midwifery Council in the UK.
statue
A sculpture in the round representing human or animal figures or small figure groups; a statuette is a smaller sculpture.
steatopygia
Steatopygia, from the Greek steato meaning fat and pygia meaning buttocks, is defined as excessive fat of the buttocks, usually seen in women and sometimes called Hottentot Bustle because it was commonly seen in the Hottentot people of southern Africa. This affliction is characterized by protrusion and excessive fatness of just the buttock region. http://www.springerlink.com/content/l73768n545236942/
stenosis
Narrowing of a duct or canal
stereotaxic apparatus
Apparatus for a system of three-dimensional coordinates to locate the site to be operated on during brain surgery.
steriliser
An instrument used to make objects sterile by killing or eliminating agents such as fungi, bacteria and viruses.
stertor
A noisy inspiration occurring in coma or deep sleep, sometimes due to obstruction of the larynx or upper airways.
stethometer
An apparatus for measuring the external movements of a given point of the chest wall, during respiration; also called thoracometer.
stethoscope
A device which is used to listen to sounds produced by the human body. Ordinarily a stethoscope consists of rubber tubing in the shape of a Y.
sticker
Adhesive-backed slips of paper or similar thin material, usually bearing messages or designs.
stigmata
Bodily marks or sores believed to correspond to the crucifixion marks of Jesus Christ.
stomach
J-shaped organ, lying to the left and slightly below the diaphragm in human beings; one of the organs of the digestive system. The stomach produces gastric juices that break down proteins.
stomach pump
An apparatus for removing the contents of the stomach by means of suction. A stomach pumping is performed using a flexible rubber tube that is passed through the mouth and advanced to the stomach. This procedure includes the instillation of a balanced salt solution into the stomach (via the tube) followed by suctioning the fluid out of the stomach. It is an effective procedure in the treatment of toxic ingestions.
stone
A hard solid made of undissolved minerals and found in the kidneys or bladder.
storage jar
A jar used to store objects or substances.
streptococcus
A group of bacteria that destroy red blood cells and cause diseases in humans, including scarlet fever.
strigil
A metal or ivory instrument used to scrape skin. Used in ancient Greece and Rome to scrape the skin clear of dirt.
stromuhr
An instrument for measuring the quantity of blood that flows through a blood vessel in a given time.
strophanthus
A name for a group of shrubs from central Africa. One variation of strophanthus is used in a drug to stimulate the heart after heart failure.
strychnine
A naturally occurring drug derived from trees. In small doses strychnine functions as a central nervous system stimulant, but in higher doses it is extremely poisonous.
sulfa drug
A group of antibiotics. Sulfa drugs were ‘wonder-drugs’ before penicillin and other antibiotics. They were used to treat diseases such as bronchitis and pneumonia.
sulphanilamide
A form of sulphonamide used in the treatment of various bacterial infections.
sulphonamides
Antibacterial drugs used to treat diseases like bronchitis and pneumonia, derived from sulphanilamide
sun-glasses
Eyeglasses, usually spectacles, with coloured or tinted lenses that protect the eyes from the glare of sunlight.
supercoiling
A form of DNA where the double helix is twisted further around itself. This generally occurs in nature to allow the DNA to condense into living cells.
suppository
A drug that is inserted into the rectum, vagina or urethra, where it dissolves.
suramin
a nonmetallic drug that may be used in the treatment of sleeping sickness
surgery
trial term S&H
surgical bobbin
used in abdominal surgery
surgical instrument set
Set of instruments to be used for surgery. A physician would often build up their own collection of favoured tools in order to feel as comfortable as possible when carrying out surgery.
surgical saw
Cutting tools having thin, flat metal blades, bands, or stiff plates with cutting teeth along the edges used in surgery and for procedures such as trephination.
suture
The closing of a wound or incision with thread to help the healing process.
suture needle
needle used to suture (join the edges of a wound or incision by stitching)
suturing machine
Machine and needles used to suture wounds
sword
Edged weapon consisting basically of a blade, generally longer than that of dagger or knife, and a grip; designed for delivering cutting or thrusting blows or both.
synthetic
A substance that has been made artificially, i.e. one that does not come from a natural source. Nylon is an example of a synthetic fibre.
syphilis
A sexually transmitted infection resulting in the formation of lesions throughout the body.
syringe
An instrument used for injecting or withdrawing fluids. The open end of the syringe may be fitted with a hypodermic needle for injection into the bloodstream.
syrup
A thick sticky liquid