FIELD T-2 

 Columns 58, 59, 60, and 61 



BIOLOGICAL STATE, QUALITY, OR PROCESS 



ACTED ON OR PRODUCED BY THE TEST COMPOUND 



OR SECONDARY COMPOUND 



Organization 



The four columns of Field T-2 provide four organizational levels of types of states, qualities 

 (characters), or processes, from the most general type (indicated by the symbol of the first column, 

 Column 58) to the most specific type (indicated by the symbol of the second, third, or fourth column, 

 Columns 59, 60, or 61, according to whether the symbol is of two, three, or four units). The most 

 general of these states, qualities, or processes, therefore, has a symbol of only one unit, to be coded 

 in Column 58. For example, Symbol 1 represents an unspecified gross effect , Symbol 2 represents 

 general unspecified growth and differentiation which can be affected by the test compound, Symbol 8 

 represents unspecified gross activity of tissues, cells, or fluids which activities can be affected by 

 the test compound. By the very general character of the definitions for these single-unit symbols, it 

 will be understood that they are seldom actually used, because biological response to a test compound 

 ordinarily involves a more specific state or process. In the list of Field T-2 items, the single-unit 

 symbols serve principally to define the several general categories of states and processes. To date, 

 Field T-2 has twelve of these general categories, represented by Symbols 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, A, 

 B, C, and F. 



The more specific states, qualities, and processes which fall under the twelve categories are 

 designated by symbols of two to four units, according to their natural relationships. Several major 

 categories of cardiovascular processes or conditions, for example, are listed, all of which have symbols 

 whose first unit is the letter C and a second unit unique to that specific major cardiovascular process; 

 for example, cardiac rate, Symbol CI; amplitude of heart beat, Symbol C2; circulatory rate, Symbol C6; 

 etc. Under each of these general cardiovascular states or processes, are organized those that are 

 more specific. Thus, under general cardiac rate, Symbol CI, for example, are auricular states and 

 processes (Symbol Cll), ventricular states and processes (Symbol C12), pacemaker and conducting 

 abnormalities (Symbol C13), etc. Finally, the fourth column permits categories of a fourth level of 

 specificity, such as those items under auricular states and processes (Symbol Cll): auricular premature 

 contraction (Symbol Clll), auricular tachycardia (Symbol CI 12), auricular fibrillation (Symbol CI 13), 

 etc. 



Because certain states and processes show relationship to more than one of the categories by 

 which the Field T-2 items are organized, an occasional item is entered twice, once with the group with 

 whose symbols its symbol belongs and again with the group with which it has another natural affinity. 

 For example, both of the pathological states, collapse and syncope, are assigned symbols of the toxicity 

 series, 115-, and are listed with that series as 1154 and 1155; a coder might search for these states, 

 in order to get their code symbols, under the category of items dealing with body fluids, particularly 

 the items of blood volume, so collapse and syncope are also listed (with their symbols, 1154 and 1155) 

 with the items whose symbols are 87--. An alphabetical list of the Field T-2 items was constructed 

 for CBCC coding and it was useful, but only as a supplement to the list as it is presented in the Code 

 here. The alphabetical list proved unable to replace the naturally-arranged list partly because it is 

 difficult, for such an alphabetical list, to include each item defined in all the ways it might occur to 

 a user to search for it. Unfortunately, coders have a tendency to use the alphabetical list without 

 making an accompanying reference to the list arranged by natural association of items, leading to errors 

 in selecting the exact code symbol, because the alphabetical list does not have all related items listed 

 together to permit scanning for the most appropriate choice. 



General Use 



The general use of Field T-2 is distinguished in the Key section describing Field T in general 

 (Fields T-l, T-2, and T-3). The field is used to code the specific biological state (e.g. , death, 

 Symbol 11, 111, or 112; dormancy, Symbol 2D1; shock, Symbol 117; tolerance, Symbol 51; cyanosis, 

 Symbol 874; sinus arrest, Symbol C135), biological quality (i.e. , a character, such as size of fruit, 

 Symbol 192; nuclear shape, Symbol 226; blood cell number, Symbol 851), or biological process (tissue 



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