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Definition: Disease from Black's Medical Dictionary, 43rd Edition

Any abnormality of bodily structure or function, other than those arising directly from physical injury.


disease

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
impairment of the normal state or functioning of the body as a whole or of any of its parts. Some diseases are acute, producing severe symptoms that terminate after a short time, e.g., pneumonia; others are chronic disorders, e.g., arthritis, that last a long time; and still others return periodically and are termed recurrent, e.g., malaria. One of the most common bases for classifying disease is according to cause. External factors that produce disease are infectious agents, including both microscopic organisms ( bacteria , viruses , and protozoans ) and macroscopic ones ( fungi and various parasitic worms ). Only infectious diseases can be transmitted—by humans, certain animals and insects, and infected objects and substances (see communicable diseases ). Other external agents that can cause disease are chemical and physical agents (drugs, poisons, radiation), which can be encountered in specific work situations, deficiency of nutrients in the environment, and physical injury. …
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Full text Article disease

From The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology
Medically, any abnormal bodily condition. By extension, any abnormal psychological condition. The historical roots of the use of the term are traceable to the fact that the first efforts to deal with psychological disturbances came from those trained in medicine. The tradition is quite ancient and…
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From Dictionary of Microbiology & Molecular Biology
A term used loosely for any state of an individual (human, animal or plant) characterized by a deviation from the condition regarded as normal or average for members of the species or type, and which is usually wholly detrimental; exceptionally, a disease may be associated with some benefit: see…
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From Philip's Encyclopedia
Any departure from health, with impaired functioning of the body. Disease may be acute , severe symptoms for a short time; chronic , lasting a long time; or recurrent , returning periodically. There are many types and causes of disease: infectious, caused by harmful bacteria or viruses ; hereditary…
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Full text Article Disease

From World of Sociology, Gale
Modern biomedical diagnoses developed from the...
Disease refers to a specific bodily state, or condition, outside the general, culturally-defined norm of health. This abnormal state was once thought to be caused by imbalances within the individual which occurred when self-protective abilities were disturbed or as divine punishment for wrongs…
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From Encyclopedia of Adolescence
Disease generally refers to conditions harmful to an individual’s well-being or health. Although different cultural definitions and conceptions of disease have been proposed, in the context of adolescence the concept of disease most commonly adopts a medical focus, with the harm most often taking…
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From Encyclopedia of World Trade: From Ancient Times to the Present Full text Article A-Z Entries
Throughout history, trade has spread disease....
No factor had a more direct and irreversible effect on the spread of disease throughout the globe than trade. Before international trading practices, highly communicable diseases such as smallpox, bubonic plague, and malaria were controlled by the simple fact that small villages, dependent on…
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Full text Article Disease

From The Oxford Encyclopedia of the History of American Science, Medicine, and Technology
Disease has played a profound but ever-changing role throughout American history. In the early twenty-first century the faith that the conquest of disease is a realistic possibility remains pervasive. Some believe that medical science can develop curative therapies for virtually all diseases; some…
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Full text Article DISEASE

From Gaither's Dictionary of Scientific Quotations
American physician Hope in all diseases is the most valuable adjunct of the physician. Man and His Poisons Chapter X (p. 222 ) E.B. Treat & Co. New York New York USA . 1906. English lawyer, statesman, and essayist …cure the disease and kill the patient. …
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Full text Article Diseases

From Guide to Global Hazards
More than 2,000 years after the ancient Greeks laid the foundations of rational medicine, the world faces a rising tide of human disease. On the one hand, there are the so‐called lifestyle diseases, such as cancer and heart disease that predominate in high‐income countries. The World Health…
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From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Any condition that disturbs or impairs the normal state of an organism. Diseases can occur in all living things, and normally affect the functioning of cells, tissues, organs, or systems. Diseases are usually characterized by specific symptoms and signs, and can be mild and short-lasting (such as…
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