Medical terms - Letter M (page 6) | MedicalVocabulary.org

MDMA

Abbreviation for 3-4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine. See: Ecstasy
MDR

Minimal daily requirement. Multidrug resistant
MDS

Myelodysplastic syndrome, or myelodysplastic syndromes
Me-too drug

A drug that is structurally very similar to already known drugs, with only minor differences. The term 'me-too' carries a negative connotation. However, me-too products may create competition and drive prices down
Mead

See: Mead, Margaret
Mead, Margaret

(1901-1978) American anthropologist, author, and social critic. From the publication of her first book, 'Coming of Age in Samoa,' in 1928, in which she described the values of adolescent lovemaking in Samoan society…
Meadow syndrome

After Dr. Roy Meadow, the pediatrician who coined the term Munchhausen syndrome by proxy
Meal moth

A moth that infests both stored grain and cereal products. The moth larvae cause damage in corn meal, packaged foods, bagged grain and grain in storage. Attack is confined to surface layers of stored shelled corn and…
Mean cell hemoglobin

Hemoglobin: The average amount of hemoglobin in the average red cell. The mean cell hemoglobin (MCH) is a calculated value derived from the measurement of hemoglobin and the red cell count. (The hemoglobin value is the…
Mean cell hemoglobin concentration

Hemoglobin concentration: The average concentration of hemoglobin in a given volume of blood. The MCHC is a calculated value derived from the measurement of hemoglobin and the hematocrit. (The hemoglobin value is the…
Mean cell volume

A standard part of the complete blood count, the mean cell volume (MCV) is the average volume of a red blood cell. This is a calculated value derived from the hematocrit and the red cell count (The hematocrit is the…
Measles

Measles: An acute and highly contagious viral disease characterized by fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes, and a spreading skin rash. Measles, also known as rubeola, is a potentially disastrous disease. It can be…
Measles encephalitis

Inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) occurs in perhaps 1 in 1,000 cases of measles, starting (up to 3 weeks) after onset of the rash and presenting with high fever, convulsions, and coma. It usually runs a blessedly…
Measles immunization

The standard MMR vaccine is given to prevent measles, mumps and rubella (German measles). The MMR vaccine is now given in two dosages. The first should be given at 12-15 months of age. The second vaccination should be…
Measles syndrome, atypical (AMS)

Measles syndrome, atypical (AMS): An altered expression of measles, AMS begins suddenly with high fever, headache, cough, and abdominal pain. The rash may appear 1 to 2 days later, often beginning on the limbs. Swelling…
Measly

The word measly can refer to measles, and, thence, to spotty and, thence, to something that is of little value. In medicine, the measly tapeworm is the pork tapeworm (T. solium) which can be contracted through eating…
Measly tapeworm

Taenia solium
Meatus

An opening or passageway. For example, the female urethral meatus. The urethra is the transport tube from the bladder to the outside of the body. In females the urethra is shorter than in the male. The meatus of the…
Meatus, female urethral

The urethra is the transport tube leading from the bladder to discharge urine outside the body. In females the urethra is shorter than in the male. The meatus (opening) of the female urethra is above the vaginal…
Mechanical ventilation

Use of a machine called a ventilator or respirator to improve the exchange of air between the lungs and the atmosphere
Meckel's diverticulum

An outpouching from the small intestine, due to failure of obliteration of the yolk stalk (which normally disappears during embryonic life). About 2% of people have a Meckel's diverticulum. It is usually located about 2…
Meconium

Dark sticky material normally present in the intestine at birth and passed in the feces after birth. The passage of meconium before birth can be a sign of fetal distress.
Meconium ileus

Obstruction of the intestine (ileus) due to overly thick meconium, the dark sticky stuff that is normally present in the intestine at birth and, after trypsin and other enzymes from the pancreas have acted on it, is…
MECP2 (methyl-CpG-binding protein-2)

An enzyme which, when mutated, results in RTT (Rett syndrome), a genetic disease that is a uniform and striking, progressive neurologic developmental disorder and one of the most common causes of mental retardation in…
Med school

Short informal term for medical school. (Medical schools are not often called med schools by medical students.) See: Medical school
Med-school syndrome

See: Medical school syndrome
Med1 DNA repair gene

A gene that codes for one of the key enzymes involved in repairing DNA. The DNA in genes is constantly mutating and being repaired. This repair process is controlled by special genes. A mutation in a DNA repair gene…
Media, contrast

X-ray dyes used to provide contrast, for example, between blood vessels and other tissue. Commonly spoken of as 'contrast.
Medial

The knee joint is surrounded by a joint capsule with ligaments strapping the inside and outside of the joint (collateral ligaments) as well as crossing within the joint (cruciate ligaments). These ligaments provide…
Medial collateral ligament (MCL) of the knee

The knee joint is surrounded by a joint capsule with ligaments strapping the inside and outside of the joint (collateral ligaments) as well as crossing within the joint (cruciate ligaments). These ligaments provide…
Medial meniscus of the knee

The word 'meniscus' refers to a crescent-shaped structure. The medial meniscus of the knee is a thickened crescent-shaped cartilage pad between the two joints formed by the femur (the thigh bone) and the tibia (the shin…
Medial occipitotemporal gyrus

See: Lingual gyrus
Median

The middle. Like the median strip in a highway.
Mediastinoscopy

A procedure in which the doctor inserts a tube into the chest to view the organs in the mediastinum. The tube is inserted through an incision above the breastbone.
Mediastinotomy

A procedure in which the doctor inserts a tube into the chest to view the organs in the mediastinum. The tube is inserted through an incision next to the breastbone.
Mediastinum

The area between the lungs. The organs in this area include the heart and its large veins and arteries, the trachea, the esophagus, the bronchi, and lymph nodes
Medic Alert

Originally,a bracelet that a person could wear to warn medical professionals in an emergency about a serious health problem. In 1953 Linda Collins, the daughter of Dr. Marion Collins and Chrissie Collins, had a…
Medicaid

State programs of public assistance to persons regardless of age whose income and resources are insufficient to pay for health care. The United States federal government provides matching funds to the state Medicaid…
Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT)

The MCAT is a test that is required of all applicants to medical school in the U.S. and Canada. The MCAT is 'a standardized test used to assess applicants' science knowledge, reasoning, and communication and writing…
Medical device

1. Broadly, any physical item used in medical treatment, from a cardiac pacemaker to a wheelchair.2.In insurance terms, usually synonymous an assistive device, although it may include items more frequently thought of as…
Medical directives, advance

Advance directives preserve the person's right to accept or reject a course of medical treatment even after that person becomes mentally or physically incapacitated to the point of being unable to communicate those…
Medical entomology

The branch of science that deals with insects that cause disease or that serve as vectors of organisms that cause disease in humans. In medical entomology, for example, research may pertain to the interactions of the…
Medical etymology

The origin of medical words and terms. Etymology is an account of the origins and the developments in the meaning of a word or term. Medical etymology brings us into contact with the 'history of medicine, of human…
Medical geography

An important 'new' area of health research that is a hybrid between geography and medicine dealing with the geographic aspects of health and healthcare. Medical geography studies the effects of locale and climate upon…
Medical helminthology

The field of medicine that pertains to helminths (worms) capable of disease in people. For more about these worms, see 'Helminth.' The public health impact of medical helminths is appreciable. Two billion people are…
Medical history

1. In clinical medicine, the patient's past and present which may contain clues bearing on their health past, present, and future. The medical history, being an account of all medical events and problems a person has…
Medical journal, first American

See: First American medical journal
Medical journals

In 1665 the Royal Society in England published one of the first 2 scientific journals in the world: the 'Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.' The other was the 'Journal des Scavants' (Scholars) which…
Medical jurisprudence

The branch of the law that deals with the application of law to medicine or, conversely, the application of medical science to legal problems. Medical jurisprudence may be involved in cases concerning genetic…
Medical physics

The science of human health and radiation exposure. Medical physics, also called health physics, is devoted to radiation safety. The international professional body for health physics, the Health Physics Society, notes…