hodgkins disease

Hodgkin's disease

A chronic disease in which the lymph nodes, spleen, and liver become enlarged. The disease, whose cause is still unknown, can spread throughout other tissues and organs of the body and cause death if not treated at an early stage. Many view Hodgkin's disease as a form of cancer affecting the lymphatic system; for this reason, radiation and chemotherapy are often used in treating it.

Hodgkin''s disease 

Main Entry: Hodg·kin's disease
Pronunciation: 'häj-k&nz-
Function: noun
: a neoplastic disease that is characterized by progressiveenlargement of lymph nodes, spleen, and liver and by progressive anemia
Hodgkin, Thomas (1798–1866), British physician. Hodgkin made important contributions in pathology,including a treatise on the anatomy of diseased tissue that spurred the study of tissue pathology in Great Britain. He is known for his description of aortic regurgitation in 1829 and of Hodgkin'sdisease in 1832. The latter disease was named in his honor in 1865 by fellow British physician Sir Samuel Wilks (1824–1911).

Hodgkin's disease Hodg·kin's disease (hŏj'kĭnz)
n.
A malignant, progressive, sometimes fatal disease of unknown etiology, marked by enlargement of the lymph nodes, spleen, and liver and often accompanied by anemia and fever.

Hodgkin's disease   (hŏj'kĭnz)  Pronunciation Key  A progressive neoplastic disease, marked by proliferation of cells arising from the lymph nodes and bone marrow; enlargement of the lymph nodes, spleen, and liver; fever; and anemia. The disease is most common in teenagers and young adults. Hodgkin's disease is named after its identifier, English pathologist Thomas Hodgkin (1798-1866).