The sodium or potassium salts of long-chain fatty acid s ( e.g., sodium stearate); used as an emulsifier for cleansing purposes and as an excipient in the making of pills and suppositories. [A.S. sape, L. sapo, G. sapon]
- animal s. s. made with sodium hydroxide and a purified animal fat consisting chiefly of stearin; used in pharmacy in the preparation of certain liniments. SYN: curd s., domestic s., tallow s..
- Castile s. SYN: hard s..
- hard s. a s. made with olive oil, or some other suitable oil or fat, and sodium hydroxide; used as a detergent, and in the form of a suppository or soapsuds enema for constipation; used also as an excipient in pills. SYN: Castile s..
- insoluble s. s. made with a fatty acid and an earthy or metallic base (iron or calcium salts of fatty acid s).
- marine s. a s. made of palm or coconut oil for use with sea water in which it is soluble. SYN: salt water s..
- medicinal soft s. a s. made with vegetable oils, potassium hydroxide, oleic acid, glycerin, and purified water; used as a cleansing agent and stimulant in chronic skin diseases. SYN: green s., soft s..
- soft s. SYN: medicinal soft s..
- soluble s. any s. made with potassium, sodium, or ammonium hydroxide : ordinary animal s., Castile s., green s., etc.
- superfatted s. a s. containing an excess (3–5%) of fat above that necessary to completely neutralize all the alkali; used in the manufacture of medicated s., and in the treatment of skin diseases.
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subjective, objective, assessment, and plan [problem-oriented record]
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soap 'sōp n
1) a cleansing and emulsifying agent made usu. by action of alkali on fat or fatty acids and consisting essentially of sodium or potassium salts of such acids
2) a salt of a fatty acid and a metal
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(sōp) [subjective data; objective data; assessment; plan] a device for conceptualizing the process of recording the progress notes in the problem-oriented record (see under record): S indicates subjective data obtained from the patient and others close to him; O designates objective data obtained by observation, physical examination, diagnostic studies, etc.; A refers to assessment of the patient's status through analysis of the problem, possible interaction of the problems, and changes in the status of the problems; P designates the plan for patient care.Medical dictionary. 2011.