Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

eardrum
The tympanic membrane of the ear, or
tympanum. The eardrum separates the middle ear
from the external ear.
earthquake supplies kit
See 
disaster supplies.
earwax
A natural wax-like substance secreted by
glands in the skin on the outer part of the ear canal.
Earwax repels water and traps dust and sand parti-
cles. Usually small amounts of wax accumulate and
then dry up and fall out of the ear canal, carrying
unwanted particles. Earwax is helpful in normal
amounts. The absence of earwax may result in dry,
itchy ears, and in infection. There are two types of
ear pit
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earwax: wet and dry. Most whites and blacks have
the wet type, and most Asians and Native Americans
have the dry type.
Ebola viru
s A virus that causes a deadly form of
hemorrhagic fever that is characterized by a rise in
temperature and bleeding problems. Ebola virus
epidemics have occurred mainly in Sudan and
Zaire. The initial symptoms are fever and headache,
followed by vomiting and diarrhea, muscle pain,
rash, and bloody nose, spitting up of blood from the
lungs and stomach, and bloody eyes. Ebola virus is
highly contagious and is transmitted by contact with
blood, feces, or body fluids from an infected per-
son. The incubation period ranges from 2 to 21
days. There is no specific treatment for the disease.
Death can occur within 10 days.
EBV
Epstein-Barr virus.
ecchymosis
Nonraised skin discoloration caused
by the escape of blood into the tissues from rup-
tured blood vessels. Ecchymoses can occur in
mucous membranes (for example, in the mouth).