Free Disease Essays and Papers

Diseases Diseases are any harmful change that interferes with the normal appearance, structure, or function of the body or any of its parts. Since time immemorial, disease has played a role in the history of societies. It has affected and has been affected by economic conditions, wars, and natural disasters. An epidemic of influenza that swept the globe in 1918 killed between 20 million and 40 million people. Within a few months, more than 500,000 Americans died^more than were killed

The Disease of Alcoholism Alcoholism is a disease of epidemic proportions, affecting 9.3 to 10 million Americans, and many professionals believe the figures are closer to 20 million (Weddle and Wishon). Alcoholism is a "physiological or physiological dependence on alcohol characterized by the alcoholic’s inability to control the start or termination of his drinking"(Encyclopedia Britannica 210). It consists of frequent and recurring consumption of alcohol to an extent that causes continued

Periodontal Disease Periodontal disease is more commonly known as gum disease or gingivitis. This infection is serious enough, that it can lead to tooth loss if left untreated. This chronic infection starts around the tooth and it affects the supporting bone and gums. Periodontal disease can affect anywhere from one tooth to all thirty-two teeth. The disease pathology starts with the plaque that builds up on your teeth everyday. The plaque build up causes the gums to become red and inflamed

Hodgkin’s Disease Cancers arising from the lymph nodes or other sites of lymphoid tissue are broadly termed lymphomas. This group of diseases is divided into Hodgkin’s disease and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In both conditions, there is a replacement of normal lymphatic tissue by collections of abnormal lymphoma cells. The lymphatic system are a complex network of specialised cells and organs that defend the body against infection. Lymphatic organs include the bone marrow, spleen, thymus gland

Bone diseases most directly influence the ability to walk or to move any part of the body--hands, limbs, neck, and spine. They are related to joint disorders--ARTHRITIS, COLLAGEN DISEASE, DISLOCATION of joints, and RHEUMATISM. The medical specialty pertaining to bone disorders is ORTHOPEDICS. Fractures are the most common bone disorders. They can occur as the result of an accident or be secondary to metabolic diseases. Fractures are life-threatening to aged people having the metabolic bone disease

Peyronie's disease What is Peyronie's disease? Peyronie's disease is a disorder affecting the penis that can cause: ·     a lump within the shaft of the penis ·     pain in the shaft of the penis ·     abnormal angulation of the erect penis ('bent' penis). Not all of these features are necessarily present, but, typically, a man would first notice a tender lump in the penis, which might later be followed by bending of the penis when erect, sometimes at very odd angles. The flaccid penis is not usually

Huntington’s Disease Huntington’s disease is a fatal inherited disorder characterized by slow gradual personality changes, dementia, and choreiform movements. It is a progressive disease; its average onset is thirty to forty years of age, and the duration of the disease is about ten to twenty years with death as the outcome. It is known that for Huntington’s disease, there is a degeneration of cholinergic and GABAergic neurons in the basal ganglia and the cerebral cortex. The etiology of nerve

Disease Outbreak An inhuman sound disrupted my peaceful slumber. My eyes shifted slowly toward my clock. The red numbers confirmed my suspicion. "Christ," I thought to myself. "3:30 in the morning. This is going to be a bad day of work." I pushed my blankets off of me and sat up in bed. To my left, the sheets were already pushed back and Marissa was nowhere to be seen. At first, I didn't make the connection; I was too tired from working 12-hour shifts at the hospital and thinking was not

Hamlet and Disease Throughout the play Hamlet, Shakespeare displays many underlying themes by way of imagery.  Throughout the story, disease plagues Denmark and the people in it, shown by imagery that Shakespear delivers consistently throughout. In the opening scene, Horatio makes an interesting statement: "As stars with trains of fire and dews of blood, Disasters in the sun; and the moist star upon whose influence Neptune's empire stands was sick almost to doomsday with eclipse (1.1

Plagues and Diseases Plague. A word that has struck fear in the hearts of man since the earliest of times. It has also lead to some of the greatest historical events and stories of our time. The ancient cities of Rome and Athens, in their downfall, were finished off by pestilence. The Bubonic Plague, also known as The Black Death, devastated Europe in the 14th century, starting a new age. The great warrior Ivan the Terrible was stricken with disease, and driven mad. During the "exploration" of