Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

ERG 1
Electroretinography.
2
Electroretinograph,
the instrument used to perform electroretinography.
3
An electroretinogram, the recording produced by
an electroretinograph.
ergonomics
The science of making things fit peo-
ple. Ergonomics uses knowledge from the fields of
anatomy, mechanics, physiology, and psychology to
utilize human energy most effectively. Something that
is ergonomic is designed for safe, comfortable, and
efficient use. For example, a computer keyboard
with an ergonomic design is intended to help the
user avoid carpal tunnel syndrome and wrist pain.
ergot
A fungus (Claviceps purpurea) that con-
taminates rye and wheat and that produces sub-
stances (alkaloids) called ergotamines.
Ergotamines constrict blood vessels and cause the
muscle of the uterus to contract. They have been
much used for the treatment of migraines. They
have also been used and misused to induce abor-
tion. In excess, ergotamines can cause symptoms
such as hallucinations, severe gastrointestinal upset,
a type of dry gangrene, and a painful burning sen-
sation in the limbs and extremities. Chronic ergot
poisoning (ergotism) was rife during the Middle
Ages due to the consumption of contaminated rye.
Because of the burning pain, it was known as ignis
sacer (holy fire) and ignis infernalis (hell’s fire),
and was one of the causes of St. Anthony’s fire. A
form of ergot was also the original basis for the
illicit drug lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).
erotomania
The false yet persistent belief that
one is loved by a person (often a famous or promi-
nent person), or the pathologically obsessive pur-
suit of a disinterested object of love. Erotomania can
be a symptom of schizophrenia or other psychiatric
disorders that are characterized by delusional
symptoms.