Glossary 343 



Ep'i-lep'sy (Gr. eirlXvi^is, a seizure). A nervous affection accompanied by 



fits and sudden loss of consciousness. 

 E'ther (Gr. ai&rip, the pure, upper air). A narcotic poison. Its chief use 



is as an anaesthetic in surgical operations. 

 Eu-sta'chi-an tube (from an Italian anatomist named Eustachio). The 



tube which leads from the throat to the middle ear. 

 Ex-cre'ta (Lat. excernere, to separate). The refuse matter which is passed 



from the body in any form. 

 Ex-cre'tion (Lat. excernere, to separate). The separation from the blood 



of the waste matters of the body ; also the materials excreted. 

 Ex'os-mo'sis (Gr. ew, without, and u>6teiv, to push). The current from 



within outwards when diffusion of fluids takes place through a 



membrane. 

 Ex-ten'sion (Lat. ex, out, and tender e, to stretch). The act of restoring 



a limb, etc., to its natural position after it has been flexed or bent; 



the opposite of flexion. 



Fau'ces (Lat. fauces). The part of the mouth which opens into the pharynx. 



Fe-nes'tra (Lat.). Literally, "a window." Fenestra ovalis and fenestra 

 rotunda, the oval and the round window; two apertures in the bone 

 between the tympanic cavity and the labyrinth of the ear. 



Fer/ment (Lat. fermentum). Any substance which in contact with another 

 substance is capable of setting up changes (fermentation) in the latter, 

 without itself undergoing much change. Ferments are classified into 

 unorganized, or soluble, and organized, or living, ferments. See 

 Enzyme. 



Fer/men-ta'tion (Lat. fermentum, boiling). The process of undergoing an 

 effervescent change, as by the action of yeast; in a wider sense, the 

 change of organized substances into new compounds by the action of 

 a ferment. It differs in kind according to the nature of the ferment. 



Fi-brilla (Lat.). A little fiber; one of the longitudinal threads into 

 which a striped muscular fiber can be divided. 



Fi'brin (Lat. fibra, a fiber). A proteid substance contained in the flesh of 

 animals, and also produced by the coagulation of blood. 



Fol'li-cle (Lat. dim. otfollis, a money bag). A little pouch or depression, as 

 the hair follicle. 



Fo'men-ta'tion (Lz.t.fomentare, to keep warm). The application of heat 

 and moisture to a part to relieve pain or reduce inflammation. 



Fo-ra'men (Lat. forare, to pierce). A hole, or an aperture. 



Fron'tal si'nus. A blind or closed cavity in the bones 3f the skull just 

 over the eyebrows. 



