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epidemic
epidemic outbreak of disease that affects a much greater number of people than is usual for the locality or that spreads to regions where it is ordinarily not present. A disease that tends to be restricted to a particular region (endemic disease) can become epidemic if nonimmune persons are present...
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epidemiology
epidemiology field of medicine concerned with the study of epidemics , outbreaks of disease that affect large numbers of people. Epidemiologists, using sophisticated statistical analyses, field investigations, and complex laboratory techniques, investigate the cause of a disease, its distribution ...
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Polio
POLIO
DEFINITION
Polio (pronounced POH-lee-oh) is a serious disease caused by a virus called the poliovirus. The full medical name for the disease is poliomyelitis (pronounced POH-lee-oh-mi-uh-LI-tis). In its severest form, polio causes paralysis of the muscles of the legs, arms, and respiratory...
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cocaine
cocaine , alkaloid drug derived from the leaves of the coca shrub. A commonly abused illegal drug, cocaine has limited medical uses, most often in surgical applications that take advantage of the fact that, in addition to its anesthetic effect, it constricts small arteries, lessening bleeding. The...
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Benoît Constant Coquelin
Benoît Constant Coquelin , 1841-1909, French actor, known as Coquelin aîné [the elder]. He made his debut at the Comédie française in 1860 and achieved fame in classic comic roles, such as the valets in Molière's plays and Beaumarchais's Figaro. He made an...
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typhus
typhus any of a group of infectious diseases caused by microorganisms classified between bacteria and viruses, known as rickettsias. Typhus diseases are characterized by high fever and an early onset of rash and headache. They respond to antibiotic treatment with tetracycline and chloramphenicol an...
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François Joseph Talma
François Joseph Talma , 1763-1826, French actor. The greatest tragedian of his time, he broke with tradition and foreshadowed the romanticists. He continued Lekain's reforms, paying close attention to costume, and employing gestures and a more emotive and less declamatory style of acting. In ...
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Memphis
Memphis mĕm´fĬs , city (1990 pop. 610,337), seat of Shelby co., SW Tenn., on the Fourth, or Lower, Chickasaw Bluff above the Mississippi, at the mouth of the Wolf River; inc. 1826. A river port with excellent anchorages on the Wolf, Memphis is the largest city in the state, a port o...
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public health
public health field of medicine and hygiene dealing with the prevention of disease and the promotion of health by government agencies. In the United States, public health authorities are engaged in many activities, including inspection of persons and goods entering the country to determine that the...
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Michel Baron
Michel Baron , 1653-1729, one of the first great French actors. A protégé of Molière, he acted at the Hôtel de Bourgogne and at the Comédie Française. He brought a naturalness to the bombastic acting style established by Montfleury. In 1691 he retired at the ...
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