ASSIDENT SIGNS, in Medicine, are symptoms
which usually attend a disease, but not always; hence
differing from pathognomic signs, which are inseparable
from the disease: e. gr. In the pleurisy, a pungent
pain in the side; in an acute fever, difficulty of breath-
ing, &c. collectively taken, are pathognomic signs;
but that the pain extends to the hypochondrium or cla-
vicle, or that the patient lies with more ease on one
side than on the other, are assident signs.