Stage. 1

A definite period or condition in the course of a disease. 2. That acce ory part of a microscope that serves to support the slide on which the material to be examined is laid, and to admit of the transmi ion of reflected light from below through the material, algid s. A period in diarrheal diseases marked by lowered temperature, retarded circulation, secondary nervous disorders, first s. of labor. That s. which is occupied by the dilatation of the cervix uteri, mechanical s. An adjustment for a microscope, holding a slide, by means of which the special field under observation can be recorded for future observation. placental s. of labor, third s. of labor. The s. that follows the expulsion of the child and ends with that of the placenta and the fetal envelopes, pre-eruptive s. Of an exanthem the time that elapses from the entrance of the poison into the system to the first appearance of the eruption, second s. of labor. The s. that begins when the cervix is completely dilated and ends with the expulsion of the fetus, s. of latency. The s. of an infectious disease between the infection and the manifestation of disease. [Old Eng., stage; old Fr., estage, a story, floor, stage.]