GLOSSARY 



Abiogenesis (Greek, a, privative ; bios, life ; genesis, 



production). Spontaneous generation. 

 Accelerator nerves (Latin, accelero, to hasten). Nerves 



which, when stimulated, quicken the rate of the 



heart's action. 



Adrenals. The supra-renal capsules. 

 Adsorption (Latin ad, to, sorbere, to suck). The attraction 



of gelatin, etc., for certain substances ; not solution. 

 Afferent (Latin affere, to convey to). Conveying towards, 

 Afterbirth. The placenta. 

 Agglutination (Latin, agglutinare y to cement to). The 



gathering together into small masses of bacteria. 

 Anaesthesia (Greek, a, privative; aisthesis, perception). 



Loss of sensation. 

 Anion. An electro-negative body that passes to the 



positive pole during passage of a current. 

 Anode (Greek, ana, upwards ; odos, a way). The positive 



pole of a battery. 

 Argon (Greek, argos, inactive), a recently discovered 



element. 

 Assimilation (Latin, assimilare, to make like). Conversion 



of foodstuffs into living matter. 

 Axilla. The armpit. 

 Axis cylinder. The central filament in a nerve fibre. 



Bacillus (Latin, bacillum, a little rod). Bacilli are micro- 

 organisms. 



Bacteria (Greek, bacterion, a rod). Unicellular micro- 

 organisms having no chlorophyll. 



Basement Membrane. A delicate membrane on mucou* 

 and serous surfaces, bearing epithelium. 

 245 



