| metaphor | The application of a concept to which it is not literally applicable but which suggests a resemblance and invites comparison. Metaphors as figures of speech are a common literary device but in the history of medicine, metaphors lend a philosophical aura. Medical metaphors were widespread in ancient literature; the description of a sick body was often used by ancient writers to define a critical condition of the state, in which one corrupt part can ruin the entire system. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| agarose | <chemical> This linear galactan is created by purifying agar, when it is heated and cooled, it forms a gel that is used as a support for many types of electrophoresis and immunodiffusion (agarbiose). A typical gel is about 1% agarose. Agarose is more porous than acrylamide and is sold in different grades, the lower its sulphate content, the more highly purified it is. (06 May 1997) |
| agarose gel electrophoresis | <procedure> A type of electrophoresis that uses a matrix of highly purified agar to separate large nucleotides in size. (06 May 1997) |
| chromatography, agarose | A method of gel filtration chromatography using agarose, the non-ionic component of agar, for the separation of compounds with molecular weights up to several million. (12 Dec 1998) |