: a condition of physiological calcium imbalance marked by tonic spasm of muscles and often associated with deficient parathyroid secretion
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The horror and anguish of this bacteria is made plain in a painting from the early 1800s by the surgeon and artist Sir Charles Bell, in which the artist depicts a soldier locked tight in the throes of agonizing tetany.
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Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 29 Sep. 2015
The veterinarian was at the farm checking the cows for grass tetany.
—Michael M. Phillips, WSJ, 10 June 2021
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Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 29 Sep. 2015
The veterinarian was at the farm checking the cows for grass tetany.
—Michael M. Phillips, WSJ, 10 June 2021
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“Tetany.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tetany. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
tetany
noun
tet·a·ny
ˈtet-ᵊn-ē, ˈtet-nē 
plural tetanies
: a condition of physiological calcium imbalance that is marked by intermittent tonic spasm of the voluntary muscles and is associated with deficiencies of parathyroid secretion or other disturbances (as vitamin D deficiency)
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