| necessary cause | An aetiological factor without which a result in question will not occur; the occurrence of the result is proof that the factor is operating. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| necessary | 1. Such as must be; impossible to be otherwise; not to be avoided; inevitable. "Death, a necessary end, Will come when it will come." (Shak) 2. Impossible to be otherwise, or to be dispensed with, without preventing the attainment of a desired result; indispensable; requiste; essential. "'T is necessary he should die." "A certain kind of temper is necessary to the pleasure and quiet of our minds." (Tillotson) 3. Acting from necessity or compulsion; involuntary; opposed to free; as, whether man is a necessary or a free agent is a question much discussed. Origin: L. Necessarius, from necesse unavoidable, necessary; of uncertain origin: cf. F. Necessaire. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| cause | That which produces an effect or condition; that by which a morbid change or disease is brought about. Origin: L. Causa (05 Mar 2000) |
| cause of death | Factors which produce cessation of all vital bodily functions. They can be analyzed from an epidemiologic viewpoint. (12 Dec 1998) |
| plaque and tartar cause | (12 Dec 1998) |
| constitutional cause | A cause acting from within or through some systemic process or inborn error. (05 Mar 2000) |
| precipitating cause | A factor that brings on the onset of manifestations of a disease process. (05 Mar 2000) |
| predisposing cause | Anything that produces a susceptibility or disposition to a condition without actually causing it. (05 Mar 2000) |
| proximate cause | The immediate cause that precipitates a condition. (05 Mar 2000) |
| specific cause | A cause the action of which definitely produces the condition in question. (05 Mar 2000) |
| sufficient cause | An aetiological factor that guarantees that a result in question will occur; non-occurrence of the result is proof that the factor is not operating. (05 Mar 2000) |
| exciting cause | The direct provoking cause of a condition. Synonym: procatarxis. (05 Mar 2000) |