| plastic | 1. Having the power to give form or fashion to a mass of matter; as, the plastic hand of the Creator. "See plastic Nature working to his end." (Pope) 2. Capable of being molded, formed, or modeled, as clay or plaster; used also figuratively; as, the plastic mind of a child. 3. Pertaining or appropriate to, or characteristic of, molding or modeling; produced by, or appearing as if produced by, molding or modeling; said of sculpture and the kindred arts, in distinction from painting and the graphic arts. "Medallions . . . Fraught with the plastic beauty and grace of the palmy days of Italian art." (J. S. <medicine> Harford) Plastic clay See Force. Plastic operation, an operation in plastic surgery. Plastic surgery, that branch of surgery which is concerned with the repair or restoration of lost, injured, or deformed parts of the body. Origin: L. Plasticus, Gr, fr. To form, mold: cf. F. Plastique. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| plastic anatomy | The construction or study of models in layers which can be removed one after the other to show the structure of the organism and/or organ. Synonym: plastic anatomy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| plastic bronchitis | Inflammation of the bronchial mucous membrane, accompanied by a fibrinous exudation, which often forms a cast of the bronchial tree with severe obstruction of air flow. Synonym: plastic bronchitis, pseudomembranous bronchitis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| plastic corpuscle | A cell present in an exudate that assists in the organization of new tissue. Synonym: exudation cell, inflammatory corpuscle, plastic corpuscle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| plastic cyclitis | Inflammation of the ciliary body, and usually of the entire uveal tract, with a fibrinous exudation into the anterior and vitreous chambers. (05 Mar 2000) |
| plastic embedding | The infiltrating of histological specimens with plastics, including acrylic resins, epoxy resins and polyethylene glycol, for support of the tissues in preparation for sectioning with a microtome. (12 Dec 1998) |
| plastic induration | Sclerosis of corpus cavernosum of penis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| plastic iritis | Iritis with a fibrinous exudation. (05 Mar 2000) |
| plastic lymph | Inflammatory lymph that has a tendency to become organised. (05 Mar 2000) |
| plastic motor | An artificial point of attachment on an amputation stump to which is fastened the cord or extensor by which movement is transmitted to an artificial limb; used in cinematization. (05 Mar 2000) |
| plastic operation | The surgical specialty or procedure concerned with the restoration, construction, reconstruction, or improvement in the shape and appearance of body structures that are missing, defective, damaged, or misshapen. (05 Mar 2000) |
| plastic pleurisy | Pleurisy with a fibrinous exudation, without an effusion of serum, resulting in adhesion between the opposing surfaces of the pleura. Synonym: adhesive pleurisy, fibrinous pleurisy, plastic pleurisy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| plastic restoration material | In dentistry, any material that may be shaped directly to the tooth cavity, such as amalgam, cement, or resin. (05 Mar 2000) |
| plastic section stain | <technique> For electron microscopy, a stain (e.g., osmic acid, PTA, potassium permanganate) used on thin sections of plastic-embedded tissues, utilizing differential attachment of heavy atoms to various cellular and tissue structures so that electrons will be absorbed and scattered by these structures to produce an image; to achieve differential staining, the stain must penetrate nonwettable plastic embedments, for light microscopy, a stain (e.g., alkaline toluidine blue, silver methenamine) used on plastic-embedded tissues to attain higher resolution and more detail than normally possible; semi-thick (0.5-1.5 um) sections are particularly useful in renal pathology, especially in combination with the phase microscope. (05 Mar 2000) |
| plastic surgeon | A surgeon who specialises in reducing scarring or disfigurement that may occur as a result of accidents, birth defects, or treatment for diseases (such as melanoma). (12 Dec 1998) |