| paraffin | <chemical> A mixture of solid hydrocarbons obtained from petroleum. It has a wide range of uses including as a stiffening agent in ointments, as a lubricant, and as a topical anti-inflammatory. It is also commonly used as an embedding material in histology. Pharmacological action: anti-inflammatory agent, topical, pharmaceutic aid, sclerosing solutions. Chemical name: Paraffin waxes and Hydrocarbon waxes (12 Dec 1998) |
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| paraffin cancer | Carcinoma of the skin occurring as an occupational disease in paraffin workers. (05 Mar 2000) |
| paraffin embedding | The infiltrating of tissue specimens with paraffin, as a supporting substance, to prepare for sectioning with a microtome. (12 Dec 1998) |
| paraffin tumour | A tumefaction, usually a granuloma, caused by the prosthetic or therapeutic injection of paraffin into the tissues; sometimes used with reference to similar lesions resulting from the injection of any oil, wax, or the like. See: lipogranuloma. Synonym: paraffin tumour. (05 Mar 2000) |
| paraffin wax | A wax derived from petroleum. Synonym: mineral wax. (05 Mar 2000) |
| paraffine | <chemistry> A white waxy substance, resembling spermaceti, tasteless and odorless, and obtained from coal tar, wood tar, petroleum, etc, by distillation. It is used as an illuminant and lubricant. It is very inert, not being acted upon by most of the strong chemical reagents. It was formerly regarded as a definite compound, but is now known to be a complex mixture of several higher hydrocarbons of the methane or marsh-gas series; hence, by extension, any substance, whether solid, liquid, or gaseous, of the same chemical series; thus coal gas and kerosene consist largely of paraffins. In the present chemical usage this word is spelt paraffin, but in commerce it is commonly spelt paraffine. Native paraffin. See Ozocerite. Paraffin series. See Methane series, under Methane. Origin: F. Paraffine, fr. L. Parum too little + affinis akin. So named in allusion to its chemical inactivity. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| paraffinoma | A tumefaction, usually a granuloma, caused by the prosthetic or therapeutic injection of paraffin into the tissues; sometimes used with reference to similar lesions resulting from the injection of any oil, wax, or the like. See: lipogranuloma. Synonym: paraffin tumour. (05 Mar 2000) |
| chlorinated paraffin | A solvent for dichloramine-T. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| white soft paraffin | white petrolatum |
| hard paraffin | A purified mixture of solid hydrocarbons derived from petroleum. Synonym: paraffin. (05 Mar 2000) |
| yellow soft paraffin | <pharmacology> A semisolid unctuous substance, neutral, and without taste or odour, derived from petroleum by distilling off the lighter portions and purifying the residue. It is a yellowish, fatlike mass, transparent in thin layers, and somewhat fluorescent. It is used as a bland protective dressing, and as a substitute for fatty materials in ointments. Petrolatum is the official name for the purified product. Cosmoline and vaseline are commercial names for substances essentially the same, but differing slightly in appearance and consistency or fusibility. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| liquid paraffin | <chemical> A mixture of liquid hydrocarbons obtained from petroleum. It is used as laxative, lubricant, ointment base, and emollient. Pharmacological action: cathartic, emollients, ointment bases. Chemical name: Hydrocarbon oils (12 Dec 1998) |