latent period

noun

Also Pathology. the interval between exposure to a carcinogen, toxin, or disease-causing organism and development of a consequent disease.
Physiology. the interval between stimulus and reaction.

latent period

latent period

The interval between exposure to an infectious organism or a carcinogen and the appearance of symptoms or signs of disease.
The period elapsing between the application of a stimulus and the expected response, such as the contraction of a muscle.

First recorded in 1830–40

The latent period is shortened with the intensity of the stimulus.

The latent period is reduced when the plant is irrigated with warm water.

In any case we shall not know for eighteen months, for that is usually the latent period of sleeping sickness in man.

The latent period and the after-effect of stimulus may thus be obtained with the highest accuracy.

It will be seen that this induced an almost immediate acceleration of the rate, the latent period being less than five seconds.

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

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