442 GLOSSARY 



Fer'ment (Lat. fervimentum, boiling), a substance a small amount of 



which produces a chemical change in a large amount of another 



substance without losing its own identity or characteristics. During 



the process the most common ferment yeast liberates bubbles 



of gas, like a boiling. 

 Fe'ver (Lat. febris, a fever), increased warmth of the body due to poisons 



of disease. 

 Fi'brin (Lat.yr#, a thread), the stringy threads of coagulated blood 



albumin which permeate the blood and imprison its cells and plasma, 



causing it to become jellylike or clotted. 

 Fib'u-la (Lak. fibula, clasp), the long bone upon the outside of the shin 



bone. 

 Fil-tra'tion (Lat. feltrum, felt), separating a solid from a liquid by 



straining it through a porous substance. 



Fis'sure (Lat. fissura, a cleft), one of the deep furrows upon the sur- 

 face of the brain. 

 Fit, a sudden state of unconsciousness and of contraction of the muscles 



lasting only a minute or two. Epilepsy is a kind of fit. 

 Flex'or muscles (Lat. flectere, to bend), muscles which bend 



the limbs. 

 Fo'cus (Lat. focus, a fireplace), the point where rays of light come 



together when passed through a lens. 

 Food, anything which is assimilated by the body, and gives it weight, 



heat, or energy. The term includes water and mineral matter as 



well as vegetable and animal substances. 

 Front'al (Lat. frons, the forehead), pertaining to the region of the skull 



or brain behind the forehead. 

 Furcrum (Lat. word meaning a prop), the fixed support around which 



a lever turns. 



Gall (gawl}, a name applied to the bile while it is stored in the bag 



under the liver. 

 Gan'gli-on (Gr. gagglion, a knot), a collection of nerve cells in the 



sympathetic system. Each looks like a grain kernel. 

 Gas' trie (Gr. gaster, stomach), pertaining to the stomach. 

 Gelatine (jel'a-tin) (Lat. gelare, to harden), a kind of albumin which 



forms the principal part of connective tissue. It will dissolve in 



hot water, and forms a jellylike or solid mass when cold. Glue is 



an impure form. 



