u'nit

[L. unus, one.] i. One, a. single person or thing. 2. standard of measure, weight, or any other quality, by multiplications or fractions of which a scale or system is formed, alezin'ic u., the minimum amount of alexinic serum nece ary to di olve a determined volume of red blood corpuscles in the presence of an exce of hemolytic serum, ambocep'tor u., the smallest quantity of amboceptor in the presence of which a definite quantity of red blood cells will be di olved by an exce of complement, an'- tigen u., the smallest amount of antigen which will fix one complement unit so as absolutely to inhibit hemolysis, antitox'ic u., immunizing u. antiven'ene u., the amount of antivenene which, injected into the ear vein, will protect one gram weight of rabbit against a fatal dose of snake venom. C.G.S. u., any unit in the centimeter gram-second system, com'plement u., the smallest amount of complement which will cause solution of a definite quantity of red blood cells in the presence of an amboceptor unit. elec'trical u., see ampere, coulomb, dyne, erg, farad, joule, ohm, volt, watt, weber. Hamp's on. u., see Hampson. hemolyt'ic u., the quantity of inactivated immune serum, which, complement, being present, will cause complete hemolysis in. I c.c. of a 5 per cent, emulsion of washed red. blood-corpuscles, im'munizing u., the amount of antitoxin which will exactly neutralize 100 toxic units. Kien'boeck u., see Kienboeck. Ma'che d., see Mache. tox'ic u., the minimal dose of a toxin which will kill a standard guinea pig (one weighing about 250 grams) in three or four days. u. of char'acter, in heredity a character which is inherited as a whole and cannot be divided, ti. of force, dyne. u. of heat, in the metric system, calory, or the amount nece ary to raise a kilogram of water from o" to i°C.; in the English system the pound-degree, or the amount nece ary to raise a pound of water from a temperature of 50° to one of si°F. u. of length, in the metric system, meter; in the C.G.S. system, centimeter; in the English system it is variable; the inch for short distances, the foot for moderate distances and for elevation, and the mile for long distances, u. of light, candle-power, u. of radioactiv'ity, see Curie. Hampson, Kienboeck, Mache, and uranium u. u. of weight, in the English system the pound, in the metric system the gram, ura'nium u., a. unit for the measurement of radioactivity, that, of uranium being taken as 1. urotoxic u., see urotoxic.