Chemical Warfare Glossary of Terms

Abdominal: Relating to the abdomen, the belly, that part of the body that contains all of ...

Abdominal pain: Pain in the belly. Abdominal pain can be acute or chronic. It may reflect ...

Abnormal: Outside the expected norm, or uncharacteristic of a particular patient.

Absorption: Uptake. For example, intestinal absorption is the uptake of food (or other sub...

Acetylcholinesterase: An enzyme that breaks down the neurotransmitter acetylcholine at the...

Airway: The path that air follows to get into and out of the lungs. The mouth and nose are...

Airway obstruction: Partial or complete blockage of the breathing passages to the lungs. C...

Ammonia: A colorless gas with a very sharp odor. Made both by humans and by nature, ammoni...

Antibiotic: A drug used to treat infections caused by bacteria and other microorganisms. ...

Anticholinergic: Opposing the actions of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Anticholinerg...

Antidote: A drug that counteracts a poison.

Anxiety: A feeling of apprehension and fear, characterized by physical symptoms such as pa...

Atropine: A drug, made from the belladonna plant, that is administered via injection, eye ...

Blindness: Loss of useful sight. Blindness can be temporary or permanent. Damage to any p...

Blister: A collection of fluid underneath the top layer of skin (epidermis). There are man...

Blurred vision: Lack of sharpness of vision with, as a result, the inability to see fine d...

Bone marrow: The soft blood-forming tissue that fills the cavities of bones and contains f...

Breathing: The process of respiration, during which air is inhaled into the lungs through ...

Cancer: An abnormal growth of cells which tend to proliferate in an uncontrolled way and, ...

Cardiovascular: Relating to the circulatory system, which comprises the heart and blood ve...

Cardiovascular system: The heart and blood vessels. Also known as circulatory system.

Cell: The basic structural and functional unit of any living thing. Each cell is a small c...

Chemical reaction: A process in which one substance is transformed into another.

Chemical terrorism: Terrorism using chemical agents. These chemical agents are poisonous g...

Chemotherapy: 1. In the original sense, a chemical that binds to and specifically k...

Chloride: The major anion (negatively charged substance) in the blood and extracellular fl...

Chloroacetophenone: A riot control agent or "tear gas." See: Riot control agent poisoning....

Colony-stimulating factor: A laboratory-made agent that is similar to substances in the bo...

Congestion: An abnormal or excessive accumulation of a body fluid. The term is used broadl...

Contraction: The tightening and shortening of a muscle.

Contrast: Short for "contrast media." Contrast media are X-ray dyes used to provide contra...

Corneal: Pertaining to the cornea, the clear front window of the eye that transmits and fo...

Cough: A rapid expulsion of air from the lungs, typically in order to clear the lung airwa...

Cutaneous: Related to the skin.

Cyanide: Poisoning with cyanide, a rapidly acting, potentially deadly chemical that can ex...

Depression: An illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and that affects the way...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

Diarrhea: A common condition that involves unusually frequent and liquid bowel movements. ...

Dilate: To stretch or enlarge. Also known as dilatate.

Dizziness: Painless head discomfort with many possible causes including disturbances of ...

Emergency department: The department of a hospital responsible for the provision of medica...

Essential: In medicine, of unknown cause, as in essential hypertension (high blood pressur...

Fats: Plural of the word "fat". See the definition of fat.

Garlic: A perennial herb of the lily family cultivated for its pungent, edible bulbs. Garl...

Gastrointestinal: Adjective referring collectively to the stomach and small and large inte...

Gastrointestinal tract: The stomach and intestines. Abbreviated GI tract.

Granulocyte: A type of white blood cell that is filled with microscopic granules, little s...

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor: See: G-CSF.

Headache: A pain in the head with the pain being above the eyes or the ears, behind the he...

Heart: The muscle that pumps blood received from veins into arteries throughout the body. ...

Heart rate: The number of heartbeats per unit of time, usually per minute. The heart rate ...

Hoarseness: Hoarseness is a term referring to abnormal voice changes. Hoarseness may be ma...

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, an...

Injure: To harm, hurt, or wound. The word injure may be in physical or emotional sense. Fr...

Injury: Harm or hurt. To harm, hurt, or wound. The word injure may be in physical or emot...

Insomnia: The perception or complaint of inadequate or poor-quality sleep due to a number ...

Intensive care: See critical care.

Intervention: The act of intervening, interfering or interceding with the intent of modify...

Itching: An uncomfortable sensation in the skin that feels as if something is crawling on ...

JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association. JAMA began publication in 1883. It ...

Laboratory: A place for doing tests and research procedures, and for preparing chemicals a...

Lancet: A small, pointed knife that is used to prick a finger for a blood test.

Lethal: Deadly.

Lungs: The lungs are a pair of breathing organs located with the chest which remove carbon...

Marrow: The bone marrow.

Motor: Something that produces or refers to motion. For example, a motor neuron is a nerve...

Mouth: 1. The upper opening of the digestive tract, beginning with the lips and con...

MPH: Master of public health, a degree designating successful training in analyzing past, ...

Muscle: Muscle is the tissue of the body which primarily functions as a source of power. T...

Muscular: Having to do with the muscles. Also, endowed with above average muscle developme...

Nausea: Stomach queasiness, the urge to vomit. Nausea can be brought on by many causes, in...

Nerve: A bundle of fibers that uses electrical and chemical signals to transmit sensory an...

Neurotoxic: Poisonous to nerves or nerve tissue.

Nitrogen: Element number 7, a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is biologically impo...

Nose: The external midline projection from the face. The purpose of the nose is to warm, c...

Obstruction: Blockage of a passageway. See, for example: Airway obstruction; Intestinal o...

Organic: 1. A chemical compound that contains carbon.
2. Related to a...

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Paralysis: Loss of voluntary movement (motor function). Paralysis that affects only one mu...

Pediatrics: The field of medicine that is concerned with the health of infants, children, ...

Pesticide: A chemical used to control, repel, or destroy pests of any sort. There are scor...

Pharmacy: A location where prescription medications are sold. A pharmacy is constantly sup...

Poison: Any substance that can cause severe organ damage or death if ingested, breathed in...

Poison control center: A special information center set up to inform people about how to r...

Poisoning: Taking a substance that is injurious to health or can cause death. Poisoning i...

Pons: A specific section of the brain formed by the rounded prominence on the front surfac...

Prognosis: The forecast of the probable outcome or course of a disease; the patient's chan...

Public health: The approach to medicine that is concerned with the health of the community...

Pupil: The opening of the iris. The pupil may appear to open (dilate) and close (constrict...

Rash: Breaking out (eruption) of the skin. A rash can be caused by an underlying medical c...

Residual: Something left behind. With residual disease, the disease has not been eradicate...

Respiratory: Having to do with respiration.

Respiratory failure: Inability of the lungs to perform their basic task of gas exchange, t...

Ricin: A potent protein toxin made from the waste left over from processing castor beans. ...

Runny nose: The production of extra mucus by the nose. Rhinorrhea is the medical term for ...

Saline: Relating to salt. As an adjective, "saline" means "salty, containing salt." As a n...

Sensitivity: 1. In psychology, the quality of being sensitive. As, for example, sen...

Shortness of breath: Difficulty in breathing. Medically referred to as dyspnea. Shortness ...

Sinus: 1. An air-filled cavity in a dense portion of a skull bone. The sinuses decr...

Sore: 1. (adjective) A popular term for painful, such as a sore throat. 2. (...

Sore throat: Pain in the throat. Sore throat may be caused by many different causes, inclu...

Superficial: In anatomy, on the surface or shallow. As opposed to deep. The skin is superf...

Supportive care: Treatment given to prevent, control, or relieve complications and side ef...

Surgery: The branch of medicine that employs operations in the treatment of disease or inj...

Sweating: The act of secreting fluid from the skin by the sweat (sudoriferous) glands. The...

Tabun: Tabun or GA is an extremely toxic chemical substance. It is classified as a nerve ...

Tetanus: An often fatal infectious disease that is caused by the bacterium Clostridium tet...

Therapy: The treatment of disease. Therapy is synonymous with treatment.

Throat: The throat is the anterior (front) portion of the neck beginning at the back of th...

Tongue: A strong muscle that is anchored to the floor of the mouth. The tongue is covered ...

Topical: Pertaining to a particular surface area. For example, a topical agent is applied ...

Toxicity: The degree to which a substance (a toxin or poison) can harm humans or animals. ...

Toxicology: The study of the nature, effects, and detection of poisons (toxins) and the tr...

Twitching: : Involuntary contractions of groups of muscle fibers. Also known as fasciculat...

Urine: Liquid waste produced by the kidneys. Urine is a clear, transparent fluid that norm...

Weight loss: Weight loss is a decrease in body weight resulting from either voluntary (die...