Thermo Health Dictionary

A method of detecting the amount of heat produced by di?erent parts of the body. This is done with an infra-red sensitive photographic ?lm. High blood ?ow in an area shows up as a heat zone and thus tumours such as breast cancer can be identi?ed. The process records such changes in temperature in a record known as a thermogram. Unfortunately, such hot areas of skin are caused by a number of other conditions; this is therefore a diagnostic method that can be used only as a rough screening procedure.... thermography

An instrument for measuring a person’s body TEMPERATURE. A traditional clinical thermometer comprises a glass capillary tube sealed at one end with a MERCURY-?lled bulb at the other. The mercury expands (rises) and contracts (falls) according to the temperature of the bulb, which may be placed under the tongue or arm or in the rectum. Calibration is in degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit. Modern thermometers use an electric probe linked to a digital read-out display, providing an instant reading. Hospitals now have electronic devices that maintain constant monitoring of patients’ temperatures, pulse rates and blood pressure.... thermometer

A commonly used device for measuring people’s exposure to RADIATION. It contains activated sodium ?uoride which luminesces in proportion to the radiation dose to which it is exposed.... thermoluminescent dosimeter

The end of a sensory NERVE that reacts to changes in temperature. Such receptors are widely distributed in the SKIN as well as the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat.... thermoreceptor

See TEMPERATURE.... thermometer scales

Sun stroke... thermoplegia

(thermalgesia) n. an abnormal sense of pain that is felt when part of the body is warmed. It is a type of *dysaesthesia and is a symptom of partial damage to a peripheral nerve or to the fibre tracts conducting temperature sensation to the brain.... thermoalgesia

n. absence of the ability to recognize the sensations of heat and coldness. When occurring as an isolated sensory symptom it indicates damage to the spinothalamic tract in the spinal cord, which conveys the impulses of temperature to the thalamus.... thermoanaesthesia

n. the destruction of unwanted tissues by heat (see cauterize).... thermocautery

n. the coagulation and destruction of tissues by cautery.... thermocoagulation

n. (in physiology) the dissipation of body heat by such processes as the evaporation of sweat from the skin surface.... thermolysis

adj. describing organisms, especially bacteria, that grow best at temperatures of 48–85°C. Compare mesophilic; psychrophilic.... thermophilic

n. any substance that retains heat for a long time, such as kaolin, which is often used in hot poultices.... thermophore

n. the physiological process of regulating or adjusting body temperature.... thermotaxis

n. the use of heat to alleviate pain and stiffness in joints and muscles and to promote an increase in circulation. *Diathermy provides a means of generating heat within the tissues themselves.... thermotherapy