| Refsum, Sigvald | <person> Norwegian neurologist, *1907. See: Refsum's disease, Refsum's syndrome. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| refugees | Persons fleeing to a place of safety, especially those who flee to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution in their own country or habitual residence because of race, religion, or political belief. (12 Dec 1998) |
| refusal to treat | Refusal of the health professional to initiate or continue treatment of a patient or group of patients. The refusal can be based on any reason. The concept is differentiated from patient refusal of treatment see treatment refusal which originates with the patient and not the health professional. (12 Dec 1998) |
| refuse disposal | The discarding or destroying of garbage, sewage, or other waste matter or its transformation into something useful or innocuous. (12 Dec 1998) |
| refuse-derived fuel | (RDF) Fuel prepared from municipal solid waste. Noncombustible materials such as rocks, glass, and metals are removed, and the remaining combustible portion of the solid waste is choped or shreaded. RDF facilities process between 100 and 3000 tons of MSW per day. (05 Dec 1998) |
| refusion | Return of the circulation of blood which has been temporarily cut off by ligature of a limb. Origin: L. Re-fundo, pp. -fusus, to pour back (05 Mar 2000) |
| refute | To disprove and overthrow by argument, evidence, or countervailing proof; to prove to be false or erroneous; to confute; as, to refute arguments; to refute testimony; to refute opinions or theories; to refute a disputant. "There were so many witnesses in these two miracles that it is impossible to refute such multitudes." (Addison) Synonym: To confute, disprove. See Confute. Origin: F. Refuter, L. Refuteare to repel, refute. Cf. Confute, Refuse to deny. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |