Dictionary

bowel The small and large intestine.

boutonneuse See typhus, African tick.

botulism An uncommon but potentially very serious type of food poisoning that produces paralysis of muscles, from a nerve toxin called botulinum toxin that is produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. There are various types of botulism, including food-borne, wound, infant intestinal, and adult intestinal botulism. The symptoms of botulism can range from mild, including…

botulinum toxin A toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which is the most poisonous biological substance known. Botulinum toxin is toxic to nerves. It binds to the nerve ending at the point where the nerve joins a muscle, blocking the release by the nerve of the chemical acetylcholine (the principal neurotransmitter at the neuromuscular…

bottlefeeding The practice of feeding an infant a substitute for breast milk. Pediatricians generally advise exclusively breastfeeding (that is, breastfeeding with no supplementary formula) for all fullterm, healthy infants for the first 6 months of life. However, many infants are bottlefed today, at least in part. For infants to achieve normal growth and maintain normal…

botox A highly purified preparation of botulinum toxin A, a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Botox is injected, in very small amounts, into specific muscles, as a treatment. It acts by blocking the transmission of nerve impulses to muscles and so paralyzes (relaxes) the muscles. Botox treatment has found a growing number of…

Bornholm disease A viral infection that is most commonly caused by an enterovirus called Coxsackie B. Symptoms include fever, intense abdominal and chest pain, and headache. The chest pain is caused by inflammation of the tissue lining the lungs, and it is typically worsened by breathing or coughing. The illness usually lasts from 3 to…

borderline personality disorder A personality type characterized by difficulty forming and keeping stable relationships, highly emotional or aggressive behavior, impulsivity, and rapid shifts in values, selfimage, mood, and behavior.

borborygmus A gurgling, rumbling, or squeaking noise from the abdomen that is caused by the movement of gas through the bowels. Also known as stomach rumbling. The plural is borborygmi.

booster shot An additional dose of a vaccine needed periodically to “boost” the immune system. For example, a booster shot of the tetanus and diphtheria (Td) vaccine is recommended for adults every 10 years.

bony tarsus A structure that is made up of seven bones situated between the bones of the lower leg and the metatarsus bones of the feet. The seven bones of the bony tarsus are the calcaneus, talus (astragalus), cuboid, and navicular (scaphoid), plus the first, second, and third cuneiform bones. The bony tarsus contributes to…

bony syndactyly A condition in which the bones of the fingers or toes are joined together. Bony syndactyly is not the same as cutaneous syndactyly, which only involves webbing of the skin between the digits.