hepatitis Path.
(hɛpəˈtaɪtɪs)
[a. Gr. ἡπατῖτις adj., of or pertaining to the liver: see -itis.]
Inflammation of the liver.
| 1727–51 Chambers Cycl. s.v., The hepatitis bears a near resemblance to the pleurisy. 1788 J. C. Smyth in Med. Commun. II. 173 Phrenitis, Pleuritis, Hepatitis, Nephritis. 1819 B. E. O'Meara Expos. Trans. St. Helena 28 Hepatitis, with its usual train of distressing symptoms, followed. 1879 A. Flint Clinical Med. iii. 370 Diffuse, or parenchymatous hepatitis and yellow atrophy of the liver are considered as one affection. 1938 Yater & Ault in W. M. Yater Fund. Internal Med. iv. 375 The differential diagnosis of the various types of hepatitis brings into consideration the differentiation of the causes of jaundice. 1955 Gaiger & Davies Vet. Path. & Bacteriol. (ed. 4) xxxiii. 644 Apart from the specific forms of hepatitis met with in tuberculosis,..the two main forms of inflammation met with are suppurative hepatitis due to bacterial activity within the liver tissue and chronic interstitial hepatitis due to blood-borne toxins and other agents. 1959 Chamber's Encycl. VII. 23/2 Acute infective hepatitis is the newer name for a condition long known in medical practice as catarrhal jaundice. 1963 L. Schiff Dis. Liver (ed. 2) xii. 370/1 At least two forms of viral hepatitis are recognized: the naturally occurring type referred to as infectious hepatitis (catarrhal jaundice, infectious jaundice, etc.), and homologous serum hepatitis (transfusion jaundice, yellow fever vaccine jaundice, syringe jaundice, postarsphenamine jaundice, etc.). Ibid. xiv. 453 (heading) Toxic and drug-induced hepatitis. |