For the town in Ontario, see Swastika, Ontario.

The swastika (from Sanskrit स्वास्तिक ) is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles in either left-facing () or right-facing () direction. The swastika is a holy symbol in Hinduism and Jainism. In the West, it is most widely known and used as a symbol of Nazism. It is traditionally oriented so that a main line is horizontal, though it is occasionally rotated at forty-five degrees. The Hindu version is often decorated with a dot in each quadrant.

Overview

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The motif seems to have first been used in Neolithic Eurasia. The swastika is used in religious and civil ceremonies in India. Most Indian temples, entrance of houses, weddings, festivals and celebrations are decorated with swastikas. The symbol was introduced to Southeast Asia by Hindu kings and remains an integral part of Balinese Hinduism to this day, and it is a common sight in Indonesia. The symbol has an ancient history in Europe, appearing on artifacts from pre-Christian European cultures. It was also adopted independently by several Native American cultures. In the Western world, the symbol experienced a resurgence following the archaeological work in the late nineteenth century of Heinrich Schliemann, who discovered the symbol in the site of ancient Troy and associated it with the ancient migrations of Proto-Indo-Europeans ("Aryan" people). He connected it with similar shapes found on ancient pots in Germany, and theorised that the swastika was a "significant religious symbol of our remote ancestors," linking ancient German, Greek and Vedic culture.Schliemann, H, Troy and its remains, London: Murray, 1875, pp. 102, 119-20 Sarah Boxer. "One of the world's great symbols strives for a comeback". The New York Times, July 29, 2000. By the early 20th century it was widely used worldwide and was regarded as a symbol of good luck and auspiciousness.

The work of Schliemann soon became intertwined with the völkisch movements, for which the swastika was a symbol of "Aryan" identity, a concept that came to be equated by theorists like Alfred Rosenberg with a Nordic master race originating in northern Europe. Since its adoption by the Nazi Party of Adolf Hitler, the swastika has been associated with fascism, racism (white supremacy), World War II, and the Holocaust in much of the West. The swastika remains a core symbol of Neo-Nazi groups, and is also regularly used by activist groups to signify the supposed Nazi-like behaviour of organizations and individuals they oppose.

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Radiolucent
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Radiolucent: Anything that permits the penetration and passage of X-rays or other forms of radiation. Radiolucent is as opposed to radiopaque (which refers to anything that blocks the penetration of X-rays). Plastic is usually radiolucent. If a child swallows a radiolucent plastic paperclip, that paperclip will not be visible on X-ray so it may not be possible to tell whether it is in the stomach or down in the intestines (where it represents no problem) or lodged in the airway to the lungs (where it can be a big problem). To make radiolucent structures visible on X-ray, radiopaque dyes may be used. For instance, in an intravenous pyelogram (an IVP), a radiopaque dye is injected into the bloodstream and passes into the urine, outlining the otherwise radiolucent renal pelvis and ureters -- the renal pelvis where the urine is collected and the ureters that serve as conduits for the urine from the kidneys to the bladder. MedTerms (TM) is the Medical Dictionary of MedicineNet.com.We Bring Doctors' Knowledge To You

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