Other tomes: Petersen - Sayre
- Abortient. Same as Abortifacient, which see.
- Abortifacient. A drug which causes expulsion of the fetus (abortion).
- Abortive. Same as Abortifacient, which see.
- Absorbent. A drug that promotes absorption.
- Absorbifacient. Same as Absorbent, which see.
- Abstergent. A cleansing or purifying medicine.
- Acidifier. A drug which imparts acidity to the fluids, especially to the blood (more correctly lessens alkalinity here), and to the urine.
- Alkalinizer. A drug which increases alkalinity of the body fluids, especially the blood, or the urine.
- Alterative. A drug which causes a favorable change or alteration in the processes of nutrition and repair, probably through some unknown way improving metabolism.
- Analgesic. Same as Anodyne. An agent that relieves pain.
- Anaphrodisiac. A drug that lessens sexual desire or depresses sexual power.
- Anesthetic (anaesthetic). An agent which temporarily abolishes sensation, producing insensibility to contact and pain. There are local and general anesthetics, the latter being administered by inhalation.
- Anhydrotic. An agent which prevents or checks excessive sweating (same as Antihydrotic).
- Anodyne. An agent that relieves pain, but does not necessarily produce unconsciousness.
- Antacid. An agent that will correct acidity by neutralization, chiefly acidity of the stomach.
- Antagonist. An agent which opposes the action of some other medicine, and especially the toxic effects of alkaloidal poisons.
- Anthelmintic. A remedy against intestinal worms.
- Antiarthritic. A remedy employed to subdue inflammation of the joints.
- Antidote. A remedy to counteract poisons. It is (a) chemical, destroying the poison; (b) mechanical, preventing absorption; (c) physiologic, opposing the elect upon the system after absorption of the poison.
- Antiemetic. A remedy that prevents or stops vomiting (emesis).
- Antigalactagogue. An agent that diminishes the secretion of milk.
- Antihemorrhagic. A remedy which arrests or controls bleeding (hemorrhage).
- Antihydrotic. A remedy to prevent or control excessive sweating (same as Anhydrotic).
- Antilithic. An agent which is believed to prevent the formation of stone, or calculi.
- Antimalarial. A remedy against, or relieving in, malarial infection.
- Antimiasmatic. A remedy against miasmatic disorders (miasm-noxious exhalation or effluvium); an unsatisfactory term.
- Antimicrobic. A drug checking the development or growth of microbes.
- Antiperiodic. An agent that diminishes or arrests the periodicity of malarial attacks; in general, an antimalarial, which see.
- Antiphagocytic. Opposing or counteracting the action of phagocytes (phagocytosis).
- Antiphlogistic. An agent which counteracts inflammation, with fever.
- Antipyretic. An agent which reduces the temperature of fevers.
- Antirheumatic. An agent employed to prevent or to relieve in rheumatic infection (rheumatism).
- Antiscorbutic. A remedy that prevents or corrects scurvy.
- Antiseptic. An agent which prevents the growth of microbes and cripples their activity while in contact with them. An agent that opposes or prevents sepsis.
- Antisialagogue. An agent that prevents or diminishes the flow of saliva.
- Antisialic. An agent that prevents or diminishes the flow of saliva (same as Antisialagogue, which see).
- Antispasmodic. An agent that will prevent and relieve spasm of the voluntary or involuntary muscles.
- Antisudorific. An agent to prevent or relieve excessive sweating.
- Antisyphilitic. A remedy to prevent or to relieve in syphilitic infection (syphilis).
- Antitetanic. An agent to prevent or relieve tetanus.
- Antithermic. An agent to reduce body temperature.
- Antitoxin. Any defensive protein acting as a neutralizer of poison. Most therapeutic antitoxins are derived from the blood-serum of animals in which a specific disease has been purposely developed. Examples: Antidiphtheric and Antitetanic Serums.
- Antitussive. A remedy to relieve or prevent cough.
- Antizymotic. An agent which prevents or arrests the process of fermentation.
- Aperient. A gentle and nonirritating purgative causing but little increase of peristalsis and producing soft feces.
- Aphrodisiac. An agent which increases sexual desire, or increases sexual power.
- Astringent. An agent which, by acting upon the albumen of tissues, causes condensation and contraction, and restrains discharges.
- Bitter. An agent which increases the tone and activity of the gastric mucosa, thereby improving the appetite.
- Cardiac. An agent which stimulates and tones the heart; also a cordial or restorative.
- Cardiant. An agent which acts upon the heart, either stimulating or depressing its action.
- Carminative. An agent that prevents or relieves flatulence and thereby allays pain.
- Cathartic. An agent that hastens and increases evacuation of the bowels. Same as Purgative, which see.
- Caustic. An agent having an escharotic or corrosive action on living tissue. (Used interchangeably with Cauterant.)
- Cauterant. An agent which has a corrosive destructive action upon living tissue.
- Cholagogue. A medicine which stimulates and increases the flow of bile.
- Corrigent. An agent which favorably modifies the action of powerful or harsh drugs; a correctant or corrective.
- Corrosive. An agent destructive to tissue.
- Counterirritant. An agent which, by inducing local irritation or hyperaemia, acts as a derivative to relieve irritation, inflammation or pain in some part remote from that to which it is applied.
- Cycloplegic. An agent which paralyzes the ciliary muscle, resulting in relaxation of accommodation (cycloplegia).
- Dacryagogue. An agent which causes a flow of tears.
- Deliriant. A drug which may produce delirium. (Same as Delirifacient, which see.)
- Delirifacient. A drug which may cause delirium. (Same as Deliriant, which see.)
- Demulcent. A bland and soothing oily or mucilaginous application or medicine to relieve irritation of inflamed or abraded surfaces, usually intended for use upon the mucosa. (See also Emollient.)
- Deobstruent. A medicine that removes obstructions.
- Deodorant. A substance that masks, removes, or destroys odor.
- Depilatory. A substance that removes or destroys hair.
- Depressant. An agent that will depress function and vital energies by causing relaxation of muscular tissues and sweating; a medicine that depresses any function.
- Depresso-motor. An agent which depresses or diminishes motor activity.
- Depurant. A purifying medicine; e. g., a renal depurant.
- Detergent. A cleansing or purifying medicine.
- Diaphoretic. An agent that will stimulate and cause increased perspiration: a sedative diaphoretic is one that acts by dilation of the vessels of the skin, as when induced by heart sedatives or emetics.
- Digestant. An agent, which digests, or assists the digestion of food.
- Diluent. An agent that dilutes the fluids of the body and renders the excretions less irritant.
- Discutient. A medicine which causes a disappearance or scattering of a local tumefaction or inflammation.
- Disinfectant. An agent that prevents, or frees from infection, acting chiefly by destroying pathogenic germs or rendering organic ferments inactive.
- Diuretic. A drug which causes and increases secretion and flow of urine.
- Drastic. A harsh purgative usually causing pain, tormina or tenesmus, and causing repeated evacuations.
- Ecbolic. An agent which excites and accelerates parturition.
- Eliminant. A drug which causes evacuations; also one by which soluble compounds are formed of insoluble substances in the body, thus facilitating their removal by the excretory organs.
- Eliminator. Same as Eliminant, which see.
- Emmenagogue. An agent that stimulates menstruation.
- Emetic. An agent that causes vomiting (emesis).
- Emollient. A medicine or agent which softens or soothes the skin, or soothes the mucosa, when irritated. (Compare Demulcent.)
- Epispastic. An agent which causes blistering (vesication).
- Errhine. An agent which excites nasal secretion and sneezing.
- Escharotic. A caustic or corrosive agent capable of producing an eschar or slough.
- Excitant. A medicine which causes excitation of the vital functions, as of the nervous (nervous excitant), muscular (motor excitant), circulatory (vaso-motor and cardiac excitants) systems.
- Excito-motor. An agent which excites to increased muscular activity.
- Exhilarant. An agent which excites or elevates the psychic function.
- Expectorant. An agent which promotes expectoration; i. e., the ejection, by spitting, of fluids secreted by the broncho-pulmonic mucosa. Stimulant expectorants excite in atony while sedative expectorants allay irritation, both facilitating the expulsion of sputum.
- Febrifuge. An agent that will reduce temperature in fevers.
- Galactagogue. An agent that stimulates the secretion or promotes the flow of milk.
- Galactophyge. An agent that diminishes or arrests the flow of milk.
- Germicide. An agent destructive to germs or micro-organisms.
- Hematic (haematic). An agent which improves the quality of the blood.
- Hematinic (haematinic). An agent which improves the quality of the blood.
- Hepatic. A drug that stimulates the function of the liver.
- Hydragogue. An agent that causes watery discharge; especially a purge which produces watery catharsis.
- Hypnotic. A medicine which induces sleep simulating that of normal slumber. Some pain relievers are also hypnotic, but true hypnotics only cause sleep.
- Irritant. An agent which, when applied locally, excites hyperaemia or inflammation.
- Laxative. A medicine causing a mild and painless evacuation of the bowels.
- Lenitive. A medicine which has the soothing action of a demulcent on the internal membranes.
- Lithontriptic. A medicine supposed to be capable of dissolving calculi within the body.
- Miotic (myotic). A medicine which causes the pupil to contract (miosis).
- Motor depressant. A drug which depresses or restrains motor or muscular activity.
- Motor-excitant. A drug which excites to increased motor or muscular activity.
- Mydriatic. An agent which dilates the pupil (mydriasis).
- Myotic (miotic). An agent which causes contraction of the pupil (myosis).
- Narco-hypnotic. An agent that not only causes sleep, but if given in larger doses induces narcosis. (See Narcotic.)
- Narcotic. A drug that will induce stuporous sleep, at the same time relieving pain and abolishing consciousness.
- Nutriant (nutrient). A medicine which affects the nutritive process, or metabolic changes in the body; one that supplies material for tissue building.
- Oxytocic. A drug which accelerates or hastens the process of delivery in childbirth.
- Paralyzant. A drug that causes temporary functional paralysis of some part of the body.
- Parasiticide. An agent which destroys parasites.
- Parturifacient. A medicine that induces or facilitates childbirth.
- Partus praeparator. An agent that strengthens preparatory to labor.
- Protective. An agent that protects mechanically by covering or coating the skin or a lesion of the surface.
- Purgative. A cathartic; an agent that will cause evacuation of the contents of the bowels.
- Purge. A purgative medicine, or a dose of the same; to purge.
- Pustulant. An agent that attacks isolated areas of the skin, as the sudoriferous glands, causing pustules (pustulation).
- Reconstructive. An agent that, through furnishing needed medicinal substances, restores strength and integrity to the body.
- Refrigerant. An agent which imparts a cooling sensation to the mucosa and allays thirst; externally it cools by evaporation.
- Resinoids. A class of preparations resembling somewhat the resins, and being a mixture of resins with other substances. A name especially applied to a group of substances obtained by precipitating alcoholic preparations containing resins, with water. The so-called Eclectic resinoids were of this class, all of them, with the exception of podophyllin, iridin, and macrotyn, being of little value.
- Resolvent. An agent that is supposed to promote resolution, or dissipation of pathologic growths.
- Resorbent. An agent that promotes the removal of excreted material, as exudates, etc.
- Restorative. An agent that restores to consciousness, or one that aids in restoring tone, function, vigor, or health.
- Revulsive. An agent which, by producing a localized determination of blood, reduces other blood engorged areas.
- Roborant. An agent that by supplying needed material or food to the tissues, imparts increased strength.
- Rubefacient. An agent which, when locally applied, reddens the skin.
- Salivant. Same as Salivator, which see.
- Salivator. An agent which salivates or causes an excessive flow of saliva.
- Sedative. A drug that allays or calms excitement.
- Sedative, Arterial or Special. An Eclectic term for Aconite, Veratrum, and Gelsemium, when given in small doses. (See Aconitum or Gelsemium.)
- Sialagogue. An agent that promotes an increased flow of saliva.
- Somnifacient. An agent which induces sleep; a hypnotic.
- Specific. An agent supposed to have a selective curative action in a special disease, or in some phases of disease.
- Sternutatory. An agent that excites sneezing.
- Stimulant. An agent that excites functional activity. A term often loosely applied. Stimulants are diffusible when they excite the circulation and general functions of the body; nervous, when they act chiefly upon the nerve centers; hepatic, when they arouse the functions of the liver; cardiac, when they increase the heart's action; gastric, when they quicken digestion; respiratory, when they increase respiratory movements; etc. Also applied to medicines in which the action of the contained ethyl alcohol is desired,
- Styptic. A local agent that, through a strongly astringent action, will arrest bleeding.
- Subculoyds. Non-irritating sterile preparations of plant drugs intended for hypodermatic medication.
- Sudorific. An agent that will cause active or droplet perspiration, a more intense action than that of the ordinary diaphoretic.
- Synergist. A drug which has a similar effect upon tissue or function to that of some other drug. Synergists usually act harmoniously with such other drugs.
- Taeniacide (taenicide). An agent that will kill and expel the tapeworm.
- Taenifuge (Taeniafuge). An agent that will expel the tapeworm.
- Tonic. An agent which tends to produce or restore normal tone to the functions and tissues of the body.
- Vaso-constrictor. A drug which causes constriction of blood vessels.
- Vaso-depressant. An agent that, by acting on the vaso-motor or nervous system, will decrease arterial pressure and relax the blood vessels.
- Vaso-dilator. A drug which causes dilation of blood vessels.
- Vaso-stimulant. An agent which, by acting upon the vasomotor nervous system, will in. crease arterial tension and thereby constrict the blood vessels.
- Vermicide. A medicine that will kill intestinal worms.
- Vermifuge. A medicine that will cause the expulsion of intestinal worms.
- Vesicant. A drug which causes blistering (vesication).
The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 1922, was written by Harvey Wickes Felter, M.D.
