Vertical

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Vertical

Vertical (pronunciation: /ˈvɜːrtɪkəl/), from the Latin verticālis, is a term used in various fields of study, including medicine, to describe an orientation or direction that is perpendicular to the horizon.

Medical Context

In the medical field, the term vertical is often used to describe the direction of anatomical structures or the transmission of diseases.

Anatomical Direction

In anatomy, vertical refers to the direction that runs up and down the body, perpendicular to the horizon when in an upright position. This is in contrast to the horizontal direction, which runs from side to side. For example, the spinal column is often described as being in a vertical orientation.

Disease Transmission

In epidemiology, vertical transmission refers to the transmission of an infection or disease from parent to offspring, either before birth (prenatal), during birth (perinatal), or after birth (postnatal). This is in contrast to horizontal transmission, which refers to the spread of diseases between individuals in a population, other than parent to offspring.

Related Terms

  • Horizontal: A direction or plane that is perpendicular to the vertical, running from side to side.
  • Perpendicular: At an angle of 90 degrees to a given line, plane, or surface or to the ground.
  • Epidemiology: The study and analysis of the distribution, patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in defined populations.
  • Spinal column: The series of vertebrae extending from the base of the skull to the coccyx that forms the supporting axis of the body in vertebrate animals.

See Also

External links

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