Chemistry: For Other Uses, See - "Chemical Science" Redirects Here. For The Royal Society of Chemistry Journal, See
Chemistry: For Other Uses, See - "Chemical Science" Redirects Here. For The Royal Society of Chemistry Journal, See
Chemistry: For Other Uses, See - "Chemical Science" Redirects Here. For The Royal Society of Chemistry Journal, See
Solutions of substances in reagent bottles, including ammonium hydroxideand nitric acid, illuminated in
different colors
Chemistry
History
Outline
Index
Glossary
Category
Portal
Chemistry is a branch of physical science that studies the composition, structure, properties and
change of matter.[1][2] Chemistry includes topics such as the properties of individual atoms, how atoms
form chemical bonds to create chemical compounds, the interactions of substances
through intermolecular forces that give matter its general properties, and the interactions between
substances through chemical reactions to form different substances.
Chemistry is sometimes called the central science because it bridges other natural sciences,
including physics, geology and biology.[3][4]For the differences between chemistry and physics
see comparison of chemistry and physics.[5]
Scholars disagree about the etymology of the word chemistry. The history of chemistry can be traced
to alchemy, which had been practiced for several millennia in various parts of the world.
Contents
[hide]
1Etymology
1.1Definition
2History
o
2.1Chemistry as science
2.2Chemical structure
3.1.1Atom
3.1.2Element
3.1.3Compound
3.1.4Molecule
3.2Phase
3.3Bonding
3.4Energy
3.5Reaction
3.8Redox
3.9Equilibrium
3.10Chemical laws
4Practice
o
4.1Subdisciplines
4.2Chemical industry
4.3Professional societies
5See also
6References
7Bibliography
8Further reading
9External links
Etymology
The word chemistry comes from alchemy, which referred to an earlier set of practices that
encompassed elements of chemistry, metallurgy, philosophy, astrology, astronomy, mysticism and
medicine. It is often seen as linked to the quest to turn lead or another common starting material into
gold,[6] though in ancient times the study encompassed many of the questions of modern chemistry
being defined as the study of the composition of waters, movement, growth, embodying,
disembodying, drawing the spirits from bodies and bonding the spirits within bodies by the early 4th
century Greek-Egyptian alchemist Zosimos.[7] An alchemist was called a 'chemist' in popular speech,
and later the suffix "-ry" was added to this to describe the art of the chemist as "chemistry".
The modern word alchemy in turn is derived from the Arabic word al-km (). In origin, the term
is borrowed from the Greek or .[8][9] This may have Egyptianorigins since al-km is
derived from the Greek , which is in turn derived from the word Chemi or Kimi, which is the
ancient name of Egypt in Egyptian.[8] Alternately, al-kmmay derive from , meaning "cast
together".[10]
Definition
In retrospect, the definition of chemistry has changed over time, as new discoveries and theories
add to the functionality of the science. The term "chymistry", in the view of noted scientist Robert
Boyle in 1661, meant the subject of the material principles of mixed bodies. [11] In 1663 the
chemist Christopher Glaser described "chymistry" as a scientific art, by which one learns to dissolve
bodies, and draw from them the different substances on their composition, and how to unite them
again, and exalt them to a higher perfection.[12]
The 1730 definition of the word "chemistry", as used by Georg Ernst Stahl, meant the art of resolving
mixed, compound, or aggregate bodies into their principles; and of composing such bodies from
those principles.[13] In 1837, Jean-Baptiste Dumas considered the word "chemistry" to refer to the
science concerned with the laws and effects of molecular forces.[14] This definition further evolved
until, in 1947, it came to mean the science of substances: their structure, their properties, and the
reactions that change them into other substances - a characterization accepted by Linus Pauling.
[15]
More recently, in 1998, Professor Raymond Chang broadened the definition of "chemistry" to
mean the study of matter and the changes it undergoes.[16]
History
Main article: History of chemistry
See also: Alchemy and Timeline of chemistry
Early civilizations, such as the Egyptians[17] Babylonians, Indians[18] amassed practical knowledge
concerning the arts of metallurgy, pottery and dyes, but didn't develop a systematic theory.
A basic chemical hypothesis first emerged in Classical Greece with the theory of four elements as
propounded definitively by Aristotle stating that fire, air, earth and water were the fundamental
elements from which everything is formed as a combination. Greek atomism dates back to 440 BC,
arising in works by philosophers such as Democritus and Epicurus. In 50 BC,
the Roman philosopher Lucretius expanded upon the theory in his book De rerum natura (On The
Nature of Things).[19][20] Unlike modern concepts of science, Greek atomism was purely philosophical
in nature, with little concern for empirical observations and no concern for chemical experiments. [21]
In the Hellenistic world the art of alchemy first proliferated, mingling magic and occultism into the
study of natural substances with the ultimate goal of transmuting elements into gold and discovering
the elixir of eternal life.[22] Work, particularly the development of distillation, continued in the
early Byzantine period with the most famous practitioner being the 4th century GreekEgyptian Zosimos of Panopolis.[23] Alchemy continued to be developed and practised throughout
the Arab world after the Muslim conquests,[24] and from there, and from the Byzantine remnants,
diffused into medieval and Renaissance Europe through Latin translations. Some influential
Muslim chemists, Ab al-Rayhn al-Brn,[26] Avicenna[27] and Al-Kindi refuted the theories of
alchemy, particularly the theory of the transmutation of metals; and al-Tusidescribed a version of
the conservation of mass, noting that a body of matter is able to change but is not able to disappear.
[25]
[28]
Chemistry as science
Jbir ibn Hayyn (Geber), a Persian alchemist whose experimental research laid the foundations of chemistry.
The development of the modern scientific method was slow and arduous, but an early scientific
method for chemistry began emerging among early Muslim chemists, beginning with the 9th century
Persian or Arabian chemist Jbir ibn Hayyn (known as "Geber" in Europe), who is sometimes
referred to as "the father of chemistry".[29][30][31][32] He introduced a systematic
and experimental approach to scientific research based in the laboratory, in contrast to the ancient
Greek and Egyptian alchemists whose works were largely allegorical and often unintelligble. [33] Under
the influence of the new empirical methods propounded by Sir Francis Bacon and others, a group of
chemists at Oxford, Robert Boyle, Robert Hooke and John Mayow began to reshape the old
alchemical traditions into a scientific discipline. Boyle in particular is regarded as the founding father
of chemistry due to his most important work, the classic chemistry text The Sceptical Chymistwhere
the differentiation is made between the claims of alchemy and the empirical scientific discoveries of
the new chemistry.[34] He formulated Boyle's law, rejected the classical "four elements" and proposed
a mechanistic alternative of atoms and chemical reactions that could be subject to rigorous
experiment.[35]
The theory of phlogiston (a substance at the root of all combustion) was propounded by the
German Georg Ernst Stahl in the early 18th century and was only overturned by the end of the
century by the French chemist Antoine Lavoisier, the chemical analogue of Newton in physics; who
did more than any other to establish the new science on proper theoretical footing, by elucidating the
principle of conservation of mass and developing a new system of chemical nomenclature used to
this day.[37]
Before his work, though, many important discoveries had been made, specifically relating to the
nature of 'air' which was discovered to be composed of many different gases. The Scottish
chemist Joseph Black (the first experimental chemist) and the Dutchman J. B. van
Helmont discovered carbon dioxide, or what Black called 'fixed air' in 1754; Henry
Cavendish discovered hydrogen and elucidated its properties and Joseph Priestley and,
independently, Carl Wilhelm Scheele isolated pure oxygen.
Biology
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their
structure, function, growth, evolution, distribution, identification and taxonomy.[1] Modern biology is a
vast and eclectic field, composed of many branches and subdisciplines. However, despite the broad
scope of biology, there are certain general and unifying concepts within it that govern all study and
research, consolidating it into single, coherent field. In general, biology recognizes the cell as the
basic unit of life, genes as the basic unit of heredity, and evolution as the engine that propels the
synthesis and creation of new species. It is also understood today that all the organisms survive by
consuming and transforming energy and by regulating their internal environment to maintain a stable
and vital condition known as homeostasis.
Sub-disciplines of biology are defined by the scale at which organisms are studied, the kinds of
organisms studied, and the methods used to study them: biochemistry examines the rudimentary
chemistry of life; molecular biology studies the complex interactions among
biological molecules; botany studies the biology of plants; cellular biology examines the basic
building-block of all life, the cell; physiology examines the physical and chemical functions
of tissues, organs, and organ systems of an organism; evolutionary biology examines the processes
that produced the diversity of life; and ecology examines how organisms interact in
their environment.[2]
Contents
[hide]
1History
2.1Cell theory
2.2Evolution
2.3Genetics
2.4Homeostasis
2.5Energy
3.1Structural
3.2Physiological
3.3Evolutionary
3.4Systematic
3.5Kingdoms
5Branches
6See also
7References
8Further reading
9External links
History
Main article: History of biology
The term biology is derived from the Greek word , bios, "life" and the suffix -, -logia, "study
of."[3][4] The Latin-language form of the term first appeared in 1736 when Swedish scientist Carl
Linnaeus (Carl von Linn) used biologi in his Bibliotheca botanica. It was used again in 1766 in a
work entitled Philosophiae naturalis sive physicae: tomus III, continens geologian, biologian,
phytologian generalis, by Michael Christoph Hanov, a disciple of Christian Wolff. The first German
use, Biologie, was in a 1771 translation of Linnaeus' work. In 1797, Theodor Georg August Roose
used the term in the preface of a book, Grundzge der Lehre van der Lebenskraft. Karl Friedrich
Burdach used the term in 1800 in a more restricted sense of the study of human beings from a
morphological, physiological and psychological perspective (Propdeutik zum Studien der
gesammten Heilkunst). The term came into its modern usage with the six-volume treatise Biologie,
oder Philosophie der lebenden Natur (180222) by Gottfried Reinhold Treviranus, who announced:[5]
The objects of our research will be the different forms and manifestations of life, the
conditions and laws under which these phenomena occur, and the causes through which
they have been effected. The science that concerns itself with these objects we will indicate
by the name biology [Biologie] or the doctrine of life [Lebenslehre].
Although modern biology is a relatively recent development, sciences related to and included
within it have been studied since ancient times. Natural philosophy was studied as early as the
ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indian subcontinent, and China. However, the
origins of modern biology and its approach to the study of nature are most often traced back
to ancient Greece.[6][7] While the formal study of medicine dates back to Hippocrates (ca. 460 BC
ca. 370 BC), it was Aristotle (384 BC 322 BC) who contributed most extensively to the
development of biology. Especially important are his History of Animals and other works where
he showed naturalist leanings, and later more empirical works that focused on biological
causation and the diversity of life. Aristotle's successor at the Lyceum, Theophrastus, wrote a
series of books on botany that survived as the most important contribution of antiquity to the
plant sciences, even into the Middle Ages.[8]
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Biology began to quickly develop and grow with Anton van Leeuwenhoek's dramatic
improvement of the microscope. It was then that scholars
discovered spermatozoa, bacteria, infusoria and the diversity of microscopic life. Investigations
by Jan Swammerdam led to new interest in entomology and helped to develop the basic
techniques of microscopic dissection and staining.[10]
Advances in microscopy also had a profound impact on biological thinking. In the early 19th
century, a number of biologists pointed to the central importance of the cell. Then, in
1838, Schleiden and Schwann began promoting the now universal ideas that (1) the basic unit
of organisms is the cell and (2) that individual cells have all the characteristics of life, although
they opposed the idea that (3) all cells come from the division of other cells. Thanks to the work
of Robert Remak and Rudolf Virchow, however, by the 1860s most biologists accepted all three
tenets of what came to be known as cell theory.[11][12]
Meanwhile, taxonomy and classification became the focus of natural historians. Carl
Linnaeus published a basic taxonomy for the natural world in 1735 (variations of which have
been in use ever since), and in the 1750s introduced scientific names for all his species.
[13]
Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, treated species as artificial categories and living
forms as malleableeven suggesting the possibility of common descent. Though he was
opposed to evolution, Buffon is a key figure in the history of evolutionary thought; his work
influenced the evolutionary theories of both Lamarck and Darwin.[14]
Beard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Bearded" redirects here. For the British music magazine, see Bearded (magazine).
For other uses, see Beard (disambiguation).
Beard
Details
Identifiers
Latin
barba
TA
A16.0.00.018
FMA
54240
Anatomical terminology
[edit on Wikidata]
A beard is the collection of hair that grows on the chin and cheeks of humans and some non-human
animals. In humans, usually only pubescent or adult males are able to grow beards. From an
evolutionary viewpoint the beard is a part of the broader category of androgenic hair. It is a vestigial
trait from a time when humans had hair on their face and entire body like the hair on gorillas. The
evolutionary loss of hair is pronounced in some populations such as indigenous Americans and
some east Asian populations, who have less facial hair, whereas Caucasians and the Ainu have
more facial hair. Women with hirsutism, a hormonal condition of excessive hairiness, may develop a
beard.
Throughout the course of history, societal attitudes toward male beards have varied widely
depending on factors such as prevailing cultural-religious traditions and the current
era's fashion trends. Some religions (such as Sikhism) have considered a full beard to be absolutely
essential for all males able to grow one, and mandate it as part of their official dogma. Other
cultures, even while not officially mandating it, view a beard as central to a man's virility,
exemplifying such virtues as wisdom, strength, sexual prowess and high social status. However, in
cultures where facial hair is uncommon (or currently out of fashion), beards may be associated with
poor hygiene or a "savage", uncivilized, or even dangerous demeanor.
Contents
[hide]
1Biology
1.1Evolution
2History
2.1Ancient and classical world
2.1.1Lebanon
2.1.2Mesopotamia
2.1.3Egypt
2.1.4India
2.1.5China
2.1.6Iran
2.1.7Greece
2.1.8Kingdom of Macedonia
2.1.9Rome
2.2Middle ages
2.3.119th century
2.3.220th century
3Beards in religion
3.1Christianity
3.1.1LDS Church
3.2Hinduism
3.3Islam
3.4Judaism
3.5Sikhism
3.6Rastafari Movement
5.1.1Sports
5.2Armed forces
6Styles
7In art
8In animals
9See also
10Notes
11References
12Further reading
13External links
Biology[edit]
The beard develops during puberty. Beard growth is linked to stimulation of hair follicles in the area
by dihydrotestosterone, which continues to affect beard growth after puberty. Various hormones
stimulate hair follicles from different areas. Dihydrotestosterone, for example, may also promote
short-term pogonotrophy (i.e., the grooming of facial hair). For example, a scientist who chose to
remain anonymous had to spend periods of several weeks on a remote island in comparative
isolation. He noticed that his beard growth diminished, but the day before he was due to leave the
island it increased again, to reach unusually high rates during the first day or two on the mainland.
He studied the effect and concluded that the stimulus for increased beard growth was related to the
resumption of sexual activity.[1] However, at that time professional pogonologists such as R.M.
Hardisty reacted vigorously and almost dismissively.[2]
Beard growth rate is also genetic.[3]
Evolution[edit]
Biologists characterize beards as a secondary sexual characteristic because they are unique to one
sex, yet do not play a direct role in reproduction. Charles Darwin first suggested
possible evolutionary explanation of beards in his work The Descent of Man, which hypothesized
that the process of sexual selection may have led to beards.[4]Modern biologists have reaffirmed the
role of sexual selection in the evolution of beards, concluding that there is evidence that a majority of
females find men with beards more attractive than men without beards.[5][6][7]
Charles Darwin
Evolutionary psychology explanations for the existence of beards include signalling sexual maturity
and signalling dominance by increasing perceived size of jaws, and clean-shaved faces are rated
less dominant than bearded.[8] Some scholars assert that it is not yet established whether the sexual
selection leading to beards is rooted in attractiveness (inter-sexual selection) or dominance (intrasexual selection).[9] A beard can be explained as an indicator of a male's overall condition. [10] The rate
of facial hairiness appears to influence male attractiveness.[11][12] The presence of a beard makes the
male vulnerable in fights, which is costly, so biologists have speculated that there must be other
evolutionary benefits that outweigh that drawback.[13] Excess testosterone evidenced by the beard
may indicate mild immunosuppression, which may support spermatogenesis.[14][15]
Paper
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paper
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese
Paper is a thin material produced by pressing together moist fibres of cellulose pulp derived
from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets. It is a versatile material with many
uses, including writing, printing, packaging, cleaning, and a number of industrial and construction
processes.
The pulp papermaking process is said to have been developed in China during the early 2nd century
AD, possibly as early as the year 105 A.D.,[1] by the Han court eunuch Cai Lun, although the earliest
archaeological fragments of paper derive from the 2nd century BC in China. [2] The modern pulp and
paper industry is global, with China leading its production and the United States right behind it.
Contents
[hide]
1History
3Etymology
4Papermaking
o
4.1Chemical pulping
4.2Mechanical pulping
4.3De-inked pulp
4.4Additives
4.5Producing paper
4.6Finishing
4.6.1Paper grain
5Applications
7Paper stability
9Future of paper
10See also
11Notes
12References
13Further reading
14External links
History
Main article: History of paper
The oldest known archaeological fragments of the immediate precursor to modern paper, date to the
2nd century BC in China. The pulp papermaking process is ascribed to Cai Lun, a 2nd-century
AD Han court eunuch.[2] With paper as an effective substitute for silk in many applications, China
could export silk in greater quantity, contributing to a Golden Age.
Its knowledge and uses spread from China through the Middle East to medieval Europe in the 13th
century, where the first water powered paper mills were built.[3] Because of paper's introduction to the
West through the city of Baghdad, it was first called bagdatikos.[4] In the 19th century, industrial
manufacture greatly lowered its cost, enabling mass exchange of information and contributing to
significant cultural shifts. In 1844, the Canadian inventor Charles Fenerty and the German F. G.
Keller independently developed processes for pulping wood fibres. [5]
Etymology
Further information: Papyrus
The word "paper" is etymologically derived from Latin papyrus, which comes from
the Greek (papuros), the word for the Cyperus papyrus plant.[7][8] Papyrus is a thick, paperlike material produced from the pith of the Cyperus papyrus plant, which was used in ancient
Egypt and other Mediterranean cultures for writing before the introduction of paper into the Middle
East and Europe.[9] Although the word paper is etymologically derived from papyrus, the two are
produced very differently and the development of the first is distinct from the development of the
second. Papyrus is a lamination of natural plant fibres, while paper is manufactured from fibres
whose properties have been changed by maceration.[2]
Papermaking
Main article: Papermaking
Chemical pulping
Main articles: kraft process, sulfite process, and soda pulping
To make pulp from wood, a chemical pulping process separates lignin from cellulose fibres. This is
accomplished by dissolving lignin in a cooking liquor, so that it may be washed from the cellulose;
this preserves the length of the cellulose fibres. Paper made from chemical pulps are also known
as wood-free papersnot to be confused with tree-free paper; this is because they do not contain
lignin, which deteriorates over time. The pulp can also be bleached to produce white paper, but this
consumes 5% of the fibres; chemical pulping processes are not used to make paper made from
cotton, which is already 90% cellulose.
The microscopic structure of paper: Micrograph of paper autofluorescing under ultraviolet illumination. The
individual fibres in this sample are around 10 min diameter.
There are three main chemical pulping processes: the sulfite process dates back to the 1840s and it
was the dominant method extent before the second world war. The kraft process, invented in the
1870s and first used in the 1890s, is now the most commonly practiced strategy, one of its
advantages is the chemical reaction with lignin, that produces heat, which can be used to run a
generator. Most pulping operations using the kraft process are net contributors to the electricity grid
or use the electricity to run an adjacent paper mill. Another advantage is that this process recovers
and reuses all inorganic chemical reagents. Soda pulping is another specialty process used to
pulp straws, bagasse and hardwoods with high silicate content.
Mechanical pulping
There are two major mechanical pulps, the thermomechanical one (TMP) and groundwood pulp
(GW). In the TMP process, wood is chipped and then fed into steam heated refiners, where the chips
are squeezed and converted to fibres between two steel discs. In the groundwood process,
debarked logs are fed into grinders where they are pressed against rotating stones to be made into
fibres. Mechanical pulping does not remove the lignin, so the yield is very high, >95%, however it
causes the paper thus produced to turn yellow and become brittle over time. Mechanical pulps have
rather short fibres, thus producing weak paper. Although large amounts of electrical energy are
required to produce mechanical pulp, it costs less than the chemical kind.
De-inked pulp
Paper recycling processes can use either chemically or mechanically produced pulp; by mixing it
with water and applying mechanical action the hydrogen bonds in the paper can be broken and
fibres separated again. Most recycled paper contains a proportion of virgin fibre for the sake of
quality; generally speaking, de-inked pulp is of the same quality or lower than the collected paper it
was made from.
There are three main classifications of recycled fibre:.
Mill broke or internal mill waste This incorporates any substandard or grade-change paper
made within the paper mill itself, which then goes back into the manufacturing system to be repulped back into paper. Such out-of-specification paper is not sold and is therefore often not
classified as genuine reclaimed recycled fibre, however most paper mills have been reusing
their own waste fibre for many years, long before recycling become popular.
Preconsumer waste This is offcut and processing waste, such as guillotine trims and
envelope blank waste; it is generated outside the paper mill and could potentially go to landfill,
and is a genuine recycled fibre source; it includes de-inked preconsumer (recycled material that
has been printed but did not reach its intended end use, such as waste from printers and unsold
publications).[10]
Postconsumer waste This is fibre from paper that has been used for its intended end use
and includes office waste, magazine papers and newsprint. As the vast majority of this material
has been printed either digitally or by more conventional means such as lithography or
rotogravure it will either be recycled as printed paper or go through a de-inking process first.
Recycled papers can be made from 100% recycled materials or blended with virgin pulp, although
they are (generally) not as strong nor as bright as papers made from the latter.
Additives
Besides the fibres, pulps may contain fillers such as chalk or china clay, which improve its
characteristics for printing or writing. Additives for sizing purposes may be mixed with it and/or
applied to the paper web later in the manufacturing process; the purpose of such sizing is to
establish the correct level of surface absorbency to suit ink or paint.
Producing paper
Main articles: Paper machine and papermaking
The pulp is fed to a paper machine where it is formed as a paper web and the water is removed from
it by pressing and drying.
Pressing the sheet removes the water by force; once the water is forced from the sheet, a special
kind of felt, which is not to be confused with the traditional one, is used to collect the water; whereas
when making paper by hand, a blotter sheet is used instead.
Drying involves using air and/or heat to remove water from the paper sheets; in the earliest days of
paper making this was done by hanging the sheets like laundry; in more modern times various forms
of heated drying mechanisms are used. On the paper machine the most common is the steam
heated can dryer. These can reach temperatures above 200 F (93 C) and are used in long
sequences of more than 40 cans; where the heat produced by these can easily dry the paper to less
than 6% moisture.
Disease
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A disease is a particular abnormal condition, a disorder of a structure or function, that affects part or
all of an organism. The study of disease is called pathology which includes the causal study
of etiology. Disease is often construed as a medical condition associated with
specific symptoms and signs.[1] It may be caused by external factors such as pathogens, or it may be
caused by internal dysfunctions particularly of the immune system such as an immunodeficiency, or
a hypersensitivity including allergies and autoimmunity.
In humans, disease is often used more broadly to refer to any condition that
causes pain, dysfunction, distress, social problems, or deathto the person afflicted, or similar
problems for those in contact with the person. In this broader sense, it sometimes
includes injuries, disabilities, disorders, syndromes, infections, isolated symptoms,
deviant behaviors, and atypical variations of structure and function, while in other contexts and for
other purposes these may be considered distinguishable categories. Diseases can affect people not
only physically, but also emotionally, as contracting and living with a disease can alter the affected
person's perspective on life.
Death due to disease is called death by natural causes. There are four main types of
disease: infectious diseases, deficiency diseases, genetic diseases both (hereditary and nonhereditary), and physiological diseases. Diseases can also be classified as communicable and noncommunicable. The deadliest diseases in humans are coronary artery disease (blood flow
obstruction), followed by cerebrovascular disease and lower respiratory infections.[2]
Contents
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1Terminology
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1.1Concepts
1.3Stages
1.4Extent
2Classifications
3Causes
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3.1Types of causes
4Prevention
5Treatments
6Epidemiology
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6.1Burdens of disease
7Society and culture
7.1Language of disease
8See also
9References
10External links
Terminology[edit]
Concepts[edit]
In many cases, terms such as disease, disorder, morbidity and illness are used interchangeably.
[3]
There are situations, however, when specific terms are considered preferable.
Disease
The term disease broadly refers to any condition that impairs the normal functioning of the
body. For this reason, diseases are associated with dysfunctioning of the body's
normal homeostatic processes.[4] The term disease has both a count sense (a disease, two
diseases, many diseases) and a noncount sense (not much disease, less disease, a lot of
disease). Commonly, the term is used to refer specifically to infectious diseases, which are
clinically evident diseases that result from the presence of pathogenicmicrobial agents,
including viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, multicellular organisms, and aberrant proteins
known as prions. An infection that does not and will not produce clinically evident impairment
of normal functioning, such as the presence of the normal bacteria and yeasts in the gut, or
of a passenger virus, is not considered a disease. By contrast, an infection that is
asymptomatic during its incubation period, but expected to produce symptoms later, is
usually considered a disease. Non-infectious diseases are all other diseases, including most
forms of cancer[citation needed], heart disease, and genetic disease.
Acquired disease
disease that began at some point during one's lifetime, as opposed to disease that was
already present at birth, which is congenital disease. "Acquired" sounds like it could mean
"caught via contagion", but it simply means acquired sometime after birth. It also sounds like
it could imply secondary disease, but acquired disease can be primary disease.
Acute disease
disease of a short-term nature (acute); the term sometimes also connotes a fulminant nature
Chronic disease