Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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| an obscure term ostensibly referring to a lung disease caused by silica dust, sometimes cited as one of the longest words in the English language. |
| a white, crystalline, water-insoluble solid, C14H9Cl5, usually derived from chloral by reaction with chlorobenzene in the presence of fuming sulfuric acid: used as an insecticide and as a scabicide and pediculicide: agricultural use prohibited in the U.S. |
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poliomyelitis po·li·o·my·e·li·tis (pō'lē-ō-mī'ə-lī'tĭs)
n.
A highly infectious viral disease that chiefly affects children and, in its acute forms, causes inflammation of motor neurons of the spinal cord and brainstem, leading to paralysis, muscular atrophy, and often deformity. Also called infantile paralysis.
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poliomyelitis  (pō'lē-ō-mī'ə-lī'tĭs) Pronunciation Key
A highly communicable infectious disease caused by the poliovirus of the genus Enterovirus that causes inflammation of motor neurons of the spinal cord and brainstem, leading to paralysis, muscular atrophy, and often disability and deformity. Childhood vaccinations are given to prevent infection. Also called polio. |
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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An acute disease, and an infectious disease, caused by a virus, that brings about inflammation of certain nerve cells in the spinal cord. It can have a wide range of effects, from mild to severe, including paralysis, permanent disability, and death. In the United States, the disease has now largely vanished since the development of a vaccine against it. (See Sabin vaccine and Salk vaccine.)
Note: The history of polio, which went from a major public health problem to a minor one in a short time, is often used as an example of the benefits of medical research.
Note: President Franklin D. Roosevelt suffered from poliomyelitis. During his presidency, he could not walk unaided.
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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