496
Diaphysis shaft composed mainly of compact bone
Diarrhea the passing of loose, watery stools affecting the
function of the colon^
Diarthroses freely moving joints or articulations; also called
synovial joints^
Diastole phase of relaxation of the heart
Diencephalon one of the four major parts of the brain
consist-ing of the thalamus and the hypothalamus^
Diffusion the movement of molecules through a medium from
an area of high concentration of those molecules to an area of
low concentration of those molecules^
Digestion the breakdown of food by both mechanical and
chemical mechanisms^
Digestive system consists of the alimentary canal with its
as-sociated glands^
Diploid the full complement of chromosomes
Dislocated hip the head of the femur torn out of the
acetabulum^
Distal away from the point of attachment or origin
Distal convoluted tubule name given to the ascending limb
of^ Henle as it enters the cortex and becomes convoluted^
Diverticulosis the presence of pouch-like herniations through
the muscular layer of the colon^
Dopamine a
neurotransmitter Dorsal
toward the back
Dorsal tectum reflex center that controls the movement of
the^ eyeballs and head in response to visual stimuli^
Dorsal venous arch drains blood in the foot
Dorsalis pedis artery supplies blood to the dorsal part of the
foot
Dorsiflexion raising the foot up at the ankle joint
Down syndrome a congenital defect commonly caused by an
extra chromosome 21^
Duct of Wirsung large main duct of the pancreas; also called
pancreatic duct^
Ductus deferens vas deferens
Ductus epididymis a single tube in the testis into which the
coiled efferent ducts empty^
Duodenum shortest and first part of the small intestine
Dura mater the outermost spinal or cranial meninx
Dwarfism the result of inadequate ossification at the epiphy-
seal plates of long bones that causes an individual to be ab-
normally small
E^
Ectoderm a primary germ layer that forms the skin and ner-
vous system of a developing fetus^
Ectopic pregnancy implantation of the fertilized egg outside
the uterine cavity^
Edema swelling
Efferent arteriole carries blood away from the glomerular
capsule
GLOSSARY
Efferent ducts series of coiled tubes that transfer the sperm
out of the testes^
Efferent lymphatic vessels lymphatic vessels that leave a
lymph node at the hilum^
Efferent peripheral system consists of efferent or motor
neu-rons that convey information from the brain and spinal
cord to muscles and glands^
Ejaculatory duct duct formed from the joining of the seminal
vesicle and ductus deferens that ejects spermatozoa into the
urethra^
Elastic cartilage forms the external ear, ear canals, and
epiglottisElastin flexible fibers found in the matrix of connective tissue
Electrical potential caused by a rapid influx of sodium ions
into a muscle cell^
Electron negatively charged particle that orbits the nucleus of
an atom at some distance from its center^
Electron acceptors molecules that gain electrons during a
reaction^
Electron carriers molecules that gain electrons only to lose
them to some other molecule in a very short time^
Electron donors molecules furnishing electrons during a
reactionElectron transfer/transport system the aerobic
mechanism of respiration which produces most of the ATP
molecules from the breakdown of glucose^
Element a substance whose atoms all contain the same num-
ber of protons and electrons^
Elevation raising a part of the body
Embolism embolus that becomes lodged in a vessel and cuts
off circulation^
Embolus piece of blood clot that dislodges and gets trans-
ported by the bloodstream^
Emphysema a degenerative disease with no cure that results
in the destruction of the walls of the alveoli of the lungs^
Enamel protects teeth from wear and acids, found on the
crown of a tooth^
Encephalitis inflammation of brain tissue usually caused by a
virus^
Endocarditis inflammation of the endocardium
Endocardium innermost layer of the heart wall, including
epithelial- cells that line the heart^
Endochondral ossification the formation of bone in a
cartilag-inous environment^
Endocrine glands ductless glands that secrete hormones
directly- into the bloodstream^
Endocrine system consists of the endocrine glands
Endoderm a primary germ layer that forms the lining of inter-
nal organs and glands of a developing fetus^
Endometrium innermost layer of the uterine wall
Endomysium delicate connective tissue that surrounds the
sarcolemma of a muscle cell^
Endoplasmic reticulum a complex system of membranes
that form a collection of membrane-bound cavities in a cell