Category: G
Guardianship
When a person is unable to fend for herself, whether because she is a parentless child or an adult who suffers from mental retardation, mental illness, substance abuse, or dementia, those around her may discuss the possibility of guardianship. Unlike voluntary measures short of guardianship, like setting up a joint bank account (where two people [...]
Greer, Germaine
Germaine Greer was born on January 29, 1939, in Melbourne, Australia. She was the first child of Margaret Mary “Peggy” and Eric Reginald “Reg” Greer. Germaine’s younger sister Jane arrived 6 years later and her brother, Barry, was born 5 years after Jane. In January of 1942, Germaine’s father joined the Australian Imperial Forces and [...]
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea refers to infection caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a bacterium that grows in the reproductive tract and moist mucous membranes, such as the mouth, throat, and anus. Gonorrhea is transmitted through sexual contact. Once a person is exposed to gonorrhea, symptoms may appear in several days, or may take up to 1 month. Symptoms of [...]
Giant Cell Arteritis
Giant cell arteritis (GCA), also called temporal arteritis, is an inflammatory disease with predilection for the arms (upper extremity branches of the aorta) and head (cranial arteries). All the layers of the artery wall are affected. Microscopic examination reveals infiltration of the wall by inflammatory cells (lymphocytes and macrophages). one type of inflammatory cell, macrophages, [...]
Genital Development
Female genitalia consist of two main parts, the internal genitalia that includes the uterus, fallopian tubes, and vagina and external genitalia consisting of the vulva. Both internal and external genitalia develop in utero, that is, when the baby is still in the womb. In a series of experiments conducted in the 1950s, Alfred Jost demonstrated [...]
Genetic Counseling
Since the beginning of time, people have recognized the concept of inheritance—that is, traits are passed down from generation to generation. In most situations, those traits are looked at with pleasure. However, when there is a genetic condition in the family that causes disease or birth defects, there is usually great concern. Genetic disorders, while [...]
Gender Role
Gender roles are generally defined as sex-based categories that specify appropriate rules of conduct for males and females in a particular culture or society. Although grounded in biological differences between males and females, gender roles are social constructs. Simply put, based on the anatomical difference between men and women, each is prescribed varying and often [...]
Gender
There is controversy over how gender is defined and in the distinction between the terms gender and sex. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines gender as “the behavioral, cultural, and psychological traits typically associated with one’s sex.” Interestingly, the definition of sex encompasses “the sum of the structural, functional, and behavioral characteristics of living things that are [...]
Gangs
Gangs have existed in this country for decades. What started out as a male-dominated phenomenon in the early 1930s has evolved into a nongender-specific phenomenon. Adolescent females have become increasingly more involved in youth gangs and youth violence in the last 10 years, and as they engage in what is already considered high-risk behaviors, their [...]
Gallbladder Disease
The most common disorders affecting the gallbladder are consequences of gallstone formation. Gallstones are extremely common, occurring in up to 50% of women in their 70s. Factors associated with an increased risk of gallstone disease include being female, increasing age, race, with highest rates in Native Americans, Hispanics, and whites, obesity, Crohn’s disease, pregnancy, occurrence [...]
Galactorrhea
Galactorrhea is the spontaneous, nonobstetric production of bilateral white or clear nipple discharge. It is estimated to occur in 20-25% of women at some time in their life. Physiologic production of breast milk after pregnancy, or lactation, occurs after the breast has fully developed and been primed by numerous hormones including estrogen, progesterone, and thyroid [...]