Ch. 9 Key Terms

administer

To instill a drug into the body of a patient.

autopsy

A postmortem examination to determine the cause of death or to obtain physiological evidence, as in the case of a suspicious death.

Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act

A federal law passed in 1974 requiring physicians to report cases of child abuse.

Controlled Substance Act

The federal law giving authority to the Drug Enforcement Administration to regulate the sale and use of drugs.

coroner

A public official who investigates and holds inquests over those who die from unknown or violent causes; he or she may or may not be a physician, depending on state law.

dispense

To deliver controlled substances in some type of bottle, box, or other container to a patient.

drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

A branch of the U.S. Department of Justice that regulates the sale and use of drugs.

federalism

The sharing of power among national, state, and local governments.

  Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

A federal agency within the Department of Health and Humans Services that oversees drug quality and standardization and must approve drugs before they are released for public use.

forensics

A division of medicine that incorporates law and medicine and involves medical issues or medical proof at trials having to do with malpractice, crimes, and accidents.

medical examiner

A physician who investigates suspicious or unexplained deaths.

National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act

A federal law passed in 1986 that created a no-fault compensation program for citizens injured or killed by vaccines, as an alternative to suing vaccine manufacturers and providers.

National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP)

A no-fault federal system of compensation for individuals or families of individuals injured by childhood vaccinations.

prescribe

To issue a medical prescription for a patient.

quarantine

To separate and restrict the movement of people with infectious disease if they are a threat to public health. A court order is required.

Smallpox Emergency Personnel Protection Act (SEPPA)

A no-fault program to provide benefits and/or compensation to certain individuals, including health care workers and emergency responders, who are injured as a result of the administration of smallpox countermeasures, including the smallpox vaccine.

Unborn Victims of Violence Act

Also called Laci and Conner’s Act, a 2004 federal law that provides for the prosecution of anyone who causes injury to or the death of a fetus in utero.

vital statistics

Numbers collected for the population of live births, deaths, fetal deaths, marriages, divorces, induced terminations of pregnancy, and any change in civil status that occurs during an individual’s lifetime.