DISEASES OF THE HEART
Angina pectoris is a sign of heart disease and an attack occurs when the heart muscle is starved of oxygen. This is usually caused by a sudden increase in heart rate because of exercise or stress (such as running for a train or talking about sensitive topics). One treatment for an attack is the inhalation of amyl nitrite, which causes the coronary artery to relax and more blood to flow to the heart muscle.
DaCosta's Syndrome is named after a Philadelphia physician (1833-1900) who wrote the classic work in 1871 on 'irritable heart.' The interest in 'irritable heart' arose in British military medicine as early as the Boer War in the mid 1800's when cases of stress related heart trouble became recognized. Each subsequent war was to increase the body of knowledge, as well as those who made the connection between the military illness and a similar illness aflicting housewives. DaCosta's Syndrome is recognized as a psychological condition which causes physical symptoms, despite the absence of physical heart defects. Treatment is usually psychiatric.
auscultation \Aus`cul*ta"tion\, n. [L. ausculcatio, fr. auscultare to listen, fr. a dim. of auris, orig. ausis, ear. See Auricle, and cf. Scout, n.]
1. The act of listening or hearkening to. --Hickes.
2. (Med.) An examination by listening either directly with the ear (immediate auscultation) applied to parts of the body, as the abdomen; or with the stethoscope (mediate auscultation), in order to distinguish sounds recognized as a sign of health or of disease.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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