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Medical Definition of Scintillation counting
1. Technique for measuring quantity of a radioactive isotope present in a sample. In biology, liquid scintillation counting is mainly used for emitters such as (14)C, (35)S and 32)P and particularly for the low energy emission of 3H. Gamma emissions are often measured by counting the scintillations that they cause in a crystal. Autoradiographic images can be enhanced by using a screen of scintillant behind the film. This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology (11 Mar 2008)