Munchausen by proxy syndrome (MBPS) is a relatively uncommon condition that involves the exaggeration or fabrication of illnesses or symptoms by a primary caretaker. One of the most harmful forms of child abuse, MBPS was named after Baron von Munchausen, an 18th-century German dignitary known for telling outlandish stories.

Montezuma was the Aztec emperor of Mexico from 1502 to 1520. It was during his reign that the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire took place. Referring to this incident, travellers from Europe termed the disease caused by consuming local water while visiting Mexico and other Latin American countries as Montezuma’s revenge’. The disease caused by E.coli bacterium was later …

In sports and orthopedics, a tear of a meniscus is a rupturing of one or more of the fibrocartilage strips in the knee called menisci. When doctors and patients refer to “torn cartilage” in the knee, they actually may be referring to an injury to a meniscus at the top of one of the tibiae. Menisci can be torn during …

By definition, Kosher is food prepared according to Orthodox Jewish law. Kosher rating is an internationally accepted symbol of purity and quality that is both recognised and respected throughout the world. To achieve this quality mark, a rabbi from a certified laboratory is required to inspect the processing facilities, the formula of the stabilization method, the manufacturing process and all …

Kangaroo touch is a technique used to encourage skin-to-skin contact between a newborn, usually premature baby and its mother as this touch is believed to keep it healthy. It is also encouraged between siblings. The name comes from the way kangaroos hold their young in their pouches. Kangaroo touch or care is now increasingly promoted in hospitals for the many …

Ferberization is a technique invented by Dr. Richard Ferber to solve infant sleep problems. It involves “baby-training” children to self-soothe by allowing the child to cry for a predetermined amount of time before receiving external comfort. Dr. Richard Ferber discusses and outlines a wide range of practices to teach an infant to sleep. The term ferberization is now popularly used …

Dandy fever, also called dengue fever, is a viral fever that spreads through mosquito bite. Its symptoms are headache, fever, muscle and joint pains, swollen glands and rashes. The disease is not contagious and can be contracted only when an Aedes aegypti mosquito which has already bitten a patient with the disease, bites another person. No vaccine is available as …

Cosmophobia is an irrational fear that the world is about to end, and is sparked off by a belief among people that a cosmic end is near. The fear is ancient, and people have been readying for doom on and off – expecting floods, earthquakes, epidemics, drought, or even a collision with another planet. The latest bout was set off …

Technically, there’s no formal definition for a “Code”, but doctors often use the term as slang for a cardiopulmonary arrest happening to a patient in a hospital or clinic, requiring a team of providers (sometimes called a “code team”) to rush to the specific location and begin immediate resuscitative efforts. Each hospital or clinic can decide how it wishes to …

Brain roughage is information fed to the brain to chew on and digest, in digestible chunks. It is a term lifted from gastronomic language to liken the brain to the stomach, and is of very recent origin. Roughage is ingested to help in food digestion, and is considered good for the system, similarly brain roughage. Other such terms are information …