Gastrostomy is performed because a patient temporarily or permanently needs to be fed directly through a tube in the stomach. Reasons for feeding by gastrostomy include birth defects of the mouth, esophagus, or stomach, and problems sucking or swallowing. Gastrostomy is also performed to provide drainage for the stomach when it is necessary to bypass a long-standing obstruction of the stomach outlet into the small intestine. Obstructions may be caused by peptic ulcer scarring or a tumor.
Definition of vitalism. 1  1 : a doctrine that the functions of a living organism are due to a vital principle distinct from physicochemical forces. 2  2 : a doctrine that the processes of life are not explicable by the laws of physics and chemistry alone and that life is in some part self-determining.
Essentialism in Everyday Thought. Essentialism is the view that certain categories (e.g., women, racial groups, dinosaurs, original Picasso artwork) have an underlying reality or true nature that one cannot observe directly.The following observations may seem wholly unrelated, but all can be understood within a framework of psychological essentialism:ssentialism in Everyday Thought. Essentialism is the view that certain categories (e.g., women, racial groups, dinosaurs, original Picasso artwork) have an underlying reality or true nature that one cannot observe directly.