Phlegm

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Phlegm

Phlegm is sticky fluid

Fluid

A fluid is defined as a substance that continually deforms under an applied shear stress. All liquids and all gases are fluids. Fluids are a subset of the Phase and include liquids, gas, Plasma physics and, to some extent, plasticity ....
secreted by the mucous membranes of humans and other animals. Its definition is limited to the mucus

Mucus

In vertebrates, mucus is a slippery secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. It is a viscous colloid containing antiseptic enzymes and immunoglobulins that serves to protect Epithelium in the respiratory,...
produced by the respiratory system

Respiratory system

A respiratory system?s function is to allow gas exchange. The space between the alveoli and the capillaries, the anatomy or structure of the exchange system, and the precise physiological uses of the exchanged gases vary depending on the organism....
, excluding that from the nasal

Nose

Anatomically, a nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which admit and expel air for Respiration in conjunction with the mouth....
passages, and particularly that which is expelled by cough

Cough

A cough , in medicine, is a sudden and often repetitively occurring defense reflex which helps to clear the large breathing passages from excess secretions, irritants, foreign particles and microbes....
ing (sputum

Sputum

Sputum is matter that is expectorated from the respiratory tract, such as mucus or phlegm, mixed with saliva, which can then be spat from the mouth....
). Its composition varies, depending on climate, genetics, and state of the immune system, but basically is a water-based gel consisting of glycoproteins, immunoglobulins, lipids, etc.

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Encyclopedia

Phlegm is sticky fluid

Fluid

Mucus

Respiratory system

Nose

Cough

Sputum

Illnesses related to phlegm

Phlegm may be a carrier of larva

Larva

A larva is a young form of animal with indirect developmental biology, going through or undergoing metamorphosis .The larva can look completely different from the adult form, for example, a caterpillar differs from a butterfly....
e of intestinal parasite

Intestinal parasite

Intestinal parasites are parasites that populate the gastro-intestinal tract in humans. They can live throughout the body, but most prefer the intestinal wall....
s (see hookworm

Hookworm

The hookworm is a parasitic worm nematode worm that lives in the small intestine of its host, which may be a mammal such as a dog, cat, or human....
). Blood

Blood

Blood is a specialized bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's Cell s ? such as nutrients and oxygen ? and transports waste products away from those same cells....
y sputum

Sputum

Sputum is matter that is expectorated from the respiratory tract, such as mucus or phlegm, mixed with saliva, which can then be spat from the mouth....
can be a symptom of serious disease (such as tuberculosis

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a common and often deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacterium, mainly Mycobacterium tuberculosis . Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect the central nervous system, the lymphatic system, the circulatory system, the genitourinary system, the gastrointestinal system, bones, joints, and even the...
and lung cancer

Lung cancer

Lung cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell growth in tissue of the lung. This growth may lead to metastasis, which is the invasion of adjacent tissue and infiltration beyond the lungs....
), but can also be a relatively benign symptom of a minor disease (such as bronchitis

Bronchitis

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the large bronchus in the lungs. It can progress to pneumonia. Acute bronchitis is usually caused by viruses or bacteria and may last several days or weeks....
). In the latter case, the sputum is normally lightly streaked with blood. Coughing up any significant quantity of blood is always a serious medical condition, and any person who experiences this should seek medical attention.

Phlegm and humourism

Humourism is an ancient theory that the human body is filled with four basic substances, called the four humours

Four humours

Erich Adickes, Eduard Spranger, Ernst Kretschmer, and Erich Fromm all theorized on the four temperaments and greatly shaped our modern theories of temperament....
, which are held in balance when a person is healthy. It is closely related to the ancient theory of the four elements

Classical element

Many ancient philosophy used a set of archetype classical elements to explain patterns in nature. In this context, the word element refers to a chemical substance that is either a chemical compound or a mixture of chemical compounds , rather than a chemical element of modern physical science....
and states that all diseases and disabilities result from an excess or deficit in black bile

Melancholia

Melancholia , in contemporary usage, is a mood disorder of non-specific depression , characterized by low levels of enthusiasm and eagerness for activity....
, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood

Blood

Blood is a specialized bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's Cell s ? such as nutrients and oxygen ? and transports waste products away from those same cells....
. Hippocrates

Hippocrates

Hippocrates of Cos II or Hippokrates of Kos - ancient Greek: ; Hippokr?tes was an Ancient Greece physician of the Age of Pericles, and was considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine....
, an ancient Greek

Ancient Greece

The term Ancient Greece refers to the period of History of Greece lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman Republic conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth ....
medical doctor, is credited for this theory, about 400 BC. It influenced medical thinking for more than 2,000 years, until finally discredited in the 1800s.

Other concepts

Phlegm was thought to be associated with apathetic behavior; this old belief is preserved in the word "phlegmatic".

Sir William Osler

William Osler

Sir William Osler, 1st Baronet was a Canada physician.He has been called one of the greatest icons of modern medicine and described as the Father of Modern Medicine....
’s 1889 discusses the imperturbability or calmness in a storm required of physicians. "Imperturbability means coolness and presence of mind under all circumstances, calmness amid storm, clearness of judgment in moments of grave peril, immobility, impassiveness, or, to use an old and expressive word, phlegm
Phlegm

Phlegm is sticky fluid secreted by the mucous membranes of humans and other animals. Its definition is limited to the mucus produced by the respiratory system, excluding that from the nose passages, and particularly that which is expelled by coughing ....
." This was his farewell speech at the University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private research university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is America's first university and is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States....
in 1889 before becoming Physician-in-Chief at the recently founded Johns Hopkins Hospital

Johns Hopkins Hospital

The Johns Hopkins Hospital is a teaching hospital in Baltimore, Maryland . It was founded using money from a bequest by philanthropist Johns Hopkins....
in Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore is an independent city and the largest city in the U.S. state of Maryland in the United States. Baltimore is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay....
. This is from in the of the ."