Sockets

Sockets are used in both household and industrial field and can be catagorised as follows:-

Power plugs - these are electrical conductors have two parts, the 'male' socket that fits into the 'female' receptor that is usually wall mounted. The plug (or male bit) will have either pins or blades that slot in to the socket (female bit) via holes of slots in the socket. The plug will contain a live contact, a neutral contact and an earth contact.

Power sockets - this is a 'female' electrical conductor. It will have holes or slots in it and is designed to have a plug slotted into it. It will then deliver an electrical charge to the plug. It may have more than two slots on it for receiving a plug and is designed to fit only a plug that is electrically compatible with it.

Domestic plugs and sockets - these are devices such as lighting and domestic implements around the home (i.e. toaster etc) that connect to a mains electrical supply allowing electrical current to flow into them and power them.

When electricity first became commonplace in the home it was used mainly for providing lighting. It was usual for electrical companies at the time to charge a different amount for electricity that was used for lighting to that which was used for other purposes. For this reason, to save money many people were plugging in low powered appliances such as a toaster into a light bulb socket plug.

As this electicity became more commonplace and was used increasingly for heating and other means that lighting it was necessary to find an alterative to the light bulb socket. This was when the two bladed electrical plug and socket was invented by Harvey Hubbell in 1904, just after the turn of the century.

Other forms of socket

Eye socket - there are several structures to the human eye that help support, lubricate, move and protect the eye from damage and any infection. The eye socket is key in this has had orbital bones, muscles of the eyeball, tear glands and ducts, eyebrows and eyelids and lashes within it to help do the job.

Dry socket - this is term used in dentistry to describe the inflammation of the bone around the tooth after it has been removed.

It is something that occurs more usually a few days after the lower wisdom teeth have been removed and is thought to be caused by disruption to the blood clot that forms on the site. However, it is likely that it is also caused because of the very poor supply of blood to the area where the lower wisdom teeth sit.

Dry socket will usually present itself in the form of extreme pain between 2 and 5 days after the wisdom tooth has been extracted. It is most common in removal of the third molar and pain can radiate up and down the head and neck of the patient. It isn't actually an infection and isn't seen as a swelling issue either as the problem results entirely from the bone. For this reason antibiotics have no affect upon easing it.

Most cases of pain in this region however is due to post-operative factors and a true case of dry socket is only to blame in between 5 - 10% of cases. It is uncertain the exact causes of dry socket but smoking is thought to be one factor, as is hormonal contraception taken by female patients and women are more likely to get dry socket than men because estrogen slows down healing.