McMILLIAN, Circuit Judge.
Appellant Sheila Harold appeals from a judgment entered on a jury verdict by the District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri finding in favor of Dr. Kenneth D. Corwin and his public corporation (appel-lees), and against Harold on her damages claim for medical malpractice.
The issues presented are whether: (1) the voir dire examination conducted by the district court was unduly and unreasonably restricted; and (2) the district court committed prejudicial error by reading to the jury a dictionary definition of a medical phrase contained in an exhibit. We reverse and remand for a new trial.
In July 1982 appellee surgically enlarged Harold’s breasts with a silicon implant. At the time of the surgery Harold was a Missouri resident; however, shortly thereafter she moved to Dallas, Texas. After noticing a mass in her right breast, in August 1983 Harold returned to St. Louis to confer with appellee about her breast. Appellee discovered, upon examining Harold’s breast, that scar tissue had formed around the silicon implant. Appellee treated the scar tissue by performing a closed capsulotomy: a manual hand procedure that involves squeezing and crushing the scar tissue. After his examination and treatment, and without any further action, testing, or recommendations, appellee informed Harold that the mass in her breast was benign.
Thereafter Harold returned to Dallas, and took no further action until in December 1983 when she once again felt pain in her right breast. After several consultations with Dallas physicians, Harold was admitted to a local hospital. Following her admission, Harold’s right breast was removed because a malignant tumor mass had infiltrated the silicon breast implant. Additionally, several auxiliary lymph nodes found under Harold’s right arm tested positive for malignant cells. Thereafter, Harold sued appellee alleging negligence in failing to timely investigate the cancerous tumor mass in her right breast on August 26, 1983.
Pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 47(a)1 the district court announced that it would conduct the voir dire examination.2 Thereafter, as [1150]*1150permitted by Rule 47(a), Harold submitted a written voir dire request for supplemental inquiries to the veniremen by the court. The district court responded that the requested questions would be reviewed upon completion of the voir dire to see what subject matters contained in Harold’s inquiries may not have been touched upon. At the conclusion of the voir dire, the district court refused Harold’s renewed request to ask the supplemental questions.
Because of our disposition of the present case, we do not decide whether the district court’s voir dire was sufficient. However, because some of the present complaints may recur upon retrial a few observations may be in order. The trial court undoubtedly has considerable discretion in deciding what questions may be put to jurors on voir dire, both in ruling on objections if the questioning is by the attorneys or by refusing to put additional questions requested by a party. 9 C. Wright & A. Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure: Civil § 2482 (1971). This discretion, however, is not without limits. The court, in the realization that the purpose of the voir dire is to afford the parties a trial by a qualified, unbiased, and impartial jury, should at all times be on guard in its questioning in order to assist counsel in the exercise of his or her preemptory challenges and challenges for cause to eliminate those persons with an interest or bias. See Labbee v. Roadway Express, Inc., 469 F.2d 169 (8th Cir.1972) (Voir dire examination is subject to right of parties to have an impartial jury and the questioning must in general attempt to preserve that right). We have examined some of the requested questions submitted by counsel and find them not to be improper; however, on remand it will be left to the district court to re-examine the questions asked of the venirepersons to see if the subject matter of the questions requested by counsel has been fairly and reasonably presented to the venire panel.
Finally, we consider Harold’s argument that her case was prejudicially disadvantaged because the district court, sua sponte and over the objections of both parties, read from a dictionary, which was not in evidence, the definition of the word “differentiated.” After the submission of the case to the jury for its consideration and deliberations, a question arose from the jurors as to the meaning of the phrase “poorly differentiated tumor.” Thereafter, the jury submitted a written question to the court asking for a “layman’s” explanation of the phrase “poorly differentiated tumor.” The record shows that the phrase had been taken from one of appellee’s exhibits that was in evidence, but the phrase had not been either read or explained to the jury, and had been referred to only in questions by appellee’s counsel regarding a “lite scan.”
As a threshold matter, we make it clear that we find no error in the fact that the exhibit, which was in evidence, was permitted by the district court, with or without either counsel’s approval, to go with the jurors into the jury room. This is a highly discretionary decision and will be reversed only for an abuse of discretion. No citations are needed to support this proposition. In contrast, however, exhibits or materials neither in evidence nor used or exhibited before the jury during the conduct of the trial that reasonably can be said to improperly influence the verdict have no place in the jury room. Zagarri v. Nichols, 429 S.W.2d 758, 761 (Mo.1968).
Here the district court, by the use of a dictionary definition of the meaning of the word “differentiated,” abortively attempted to do that which none of the medical experts or doctors had done. If the exhibit had been presented to any of the doctors, the phrase “poorly differentiated tumor” could easily have been explained to the jury. “Differentiated,” as defined by the court means:
Having a different character or function from the surrounding structure or from the original type; said of tissues, cells, or portions of the cytoplasm.
[1151]*1151Before reading this definition to the jury, the district judge himself expressed concern that he was in a strange position, i.e., whether he was “going to cross the lawyers or the jury.” He informed the jury that he was confronted with a situation which he had not had in seven years. He told the jury that “poorly differentiated tumor ” could not be found as a phrase in the medical dictionary, and that all he could find was “differentiated,” and that it was “using elastic ” to read the definition that was about to be read. [Emphasis added].
First, there is no question that the definition read was hearsay, i.e., offered to prove or to shed light on the meaning of the phrase “poorly differentiated tumor.” Secondly, the meaning given was misleading; i.e., it made it sound as if the phrase meant the structure or masses could be identified as being different by physical palpation, when in fact the phrase “poorly differentiated tumor”
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McMILLIAN, Circuit Judge.
Appellant Sheila Harold appeals from a judgment entered on a jury verdict by the District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri finding in favor of Dr. Kenneth D. Corwin and his public corporation (appel-lees), and against Harold on her damages claim for medical malpractice.
The issues presented are whether: (1) the voir dire examination conducted by the district court was unduly and unreasonably restricted; and (2) the district court committed prejudicial error by reading to the jury a dictionary definition of a medical phrase contained in an exhibit. We reverse and remand for a new trial.
In July 1982 appellee surgically enlarged Harold’s breasts with a silicon implant. At the time of the surgery Harold was a Missouri resident; however, shortly thereafter she moved to Dallas, Texas. After noticing a mass in her right breast, in August 1983 Harold returned to St. Louis to confer with appellee about her breast. Appellee discovered, upon examining Harold’s breast, that scar tissue had formed around the silicon implant. Appellee treated the scar tissue by performing a closed capsulotomy: a manual hand procedure that involves squeezing and crushing the scar tissue. After his examination and treatment, and without any further action, testing, or recommendations, appellee informed Harold that the mass in her breast was benign.
Thereafter Harold returned to Dallas, and took no further action until in December 1983 when she once again felt pain in her right breast. After several consultations with Dallas physicians, Harold was admitted to a local hospital. Following her admission, Harold’s right breast was removed because a malignant tumor mass had infiltrated the silicon breast implant. Additionally, several auxiliary lymph nodes found under Harold’s right arm tested positive for malignant cells. Thereafter, Harold sued appellee alleging negligence in failing to timely investigate the cancerous tumor mass in her right breast on August 26, 1983.
Pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 47(a)1 the district court announced that it would conduct the voir dire examination.2 Thereafter, as [1150]*1150permitted by Rule 47(a), Harold submitted a written voir dire request for supplemental inquiries to the veniremen by the court. The district court responded that the requested questions would be reviewed upon completion of the voir dire to see what subject matters contained in Harold’s inquiries may not have been touched upon. At the conclusion of the voir dire, the district court refused Harold’s renewed request to ask the supplemental questions.
Because of our disposition of the present case, we do not decide whether the district court’s voir dire was sufficient. However, because some of the present complaints may recur upon retrial a few observations may be in order. The trial court undoubtedly has considerable discretion in deciding what questions may be put to jurors on voir dire, both in ruling on objections if the questioning is by the attorneys or by refusing to put additional questions requested by a party. 9 C. Wright & A. Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure: Civil § 2482 (1971). This discretion, however, is not without limits. The court, in the realization that the purpose of the voir dire is to afford the parties a trial by a qualified, unbiased, and impartial jury, should at all times be on guard in its questioning in order to assist counsel in the exercise of his or her preemptory challenges and challenges for cause to eliminate those persons with an interest or bias. See Labbee v. Roadway Express, Inc., 469 F.2d 169 (8th Cir.1972) (Voir dire examination is subject to right of parties to have an impartial jury and the questioning must in general attempt to preserve that right). We have examined some of the requested questions submitted by counsel and find them not to be improper; however, on remand it will be left to the district court to re-examine the questions asked of the venirepersons to see if the subject matter of the questions requested by counsel has been fairly and reasonably presented to the venire panel.
Finally, we consider Harold’s argument that her case was prejudicially disadvantaged because the district court, sua sponte and over the objections of both parties, read from a dictionary, which was not in evidence, the definition of the word “differentiated.” After the submission of the case to the jury for its consideration and deliberations, a question arose from the jurors as to the meaning of the phrase “poorly differentiated tumor.” Thereafter, the jury submitted a written question to the court asking for a “layman’s” explanation of the phrase “poorly differentiated tumor.” The record shows that the phrase had been taken from one of appellee’s exhibits that was in evidence, but the phrase had not been either read or explained to the jury, and had been referred to only in questions by appellee’s counsel regarding a “lite scan.”
As a threshold matter, we make it clear that we find no error in the fact that the exhibit, which was in evidence, was permitted by the district court, with or without either counsel’s approval, to go with the jurors into the jury room. This is a highly discretionary decision and will be reversed only for an abuse of discretion. No citations are needed to support this proposition. In contrast, however, exhibits or materials neither in evidence nor used or exhibited before the jury during the conduct of the trial that reasonably can be said to improperly influence the verdict have no place in the jury room. Zagarri v. Nichols, 429 S.W.2d 758, 761 (Mo.1968).
Here the district court, by the use of a dictionary definition of the meaning of the word “differentiated,” abortively attempted to do that which none of the medical experts or doctors had done. If the exhibit had been presented to any of the doctors, the phrase “poorly differentiated tumor” could easily have been explained to the jury. “Differentiated,” as defined by the court means:
Having a different character or function from the surrounding structure or from the original type; said of tissues, cells, or portions of the cytoplasm.
[1151]*1151Before reading this definition to the jury, the district judge himself expressed concern that he was in a strange position, i.e., whether he was “going to cross the lawyers or the jury.” He informed the jury that he was confronted with a situation which he had not had in seven years. He told the jury that “poorly differentiated tumor ” could not be found as a phrase in the medical dictionary, and that all he could find was “differentiated,” and that it was “using elastic ” to read the definition that was about to be read. [Emphasis added].
First, there is no question that the definition read was hearsay, i.e., offered to prove or to shed light on the meaning of the phrase “poorly differentiated tumor.” Secondly, the meaning given was misleading; i.e., it made it sound as if the phrase meant the structure or masses could be identified as being different by physical palpation, when in fact the phrase “poorly differentiated tumor” is a pathology term describing the microscopic appearance of tumor cells as compared with normal tissue cells. We reject appellee’s argument that what was done in the present case was a mere comment upon the evidence. The transgression here is far more serious and strikes at the root of our whole adversary system; i.e., that trials are to be decided based upon only the evidence and the testimony legally admitted under the guidance and supervision of the court during the course of the trial.
Even though we do not believe that the use of a dictionary is prejudicial per se,
United States v. Steele, 785 F.2d 743, 746 (9th Cir.1986) (citing United States v. Bagnariol, 665 F.2d 877 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 456 U.S. 962, 102 S.Ct. 2040, 72 L.Ed.2d 487 (1982)), we are constrained to disapprove what was done here because of the failure of the district court to take the proper safeguards in its attempt to define the phrase. United States v. Griffin, 756 F.2d 1244, 1250-52 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, 474 U.S. 837, 106 S.Ct. 114, 88 L.Ed.2d 93 (1985).
In United States v. Birges, 723 F.2d 666 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 466 U.S. 943, 104 S.Ct. 1926, 80 L.Ed.2d 472 (1984) (citing United States v. Gunter, 546 F.2d 861, 869 (10th Cir.1976), cert. denied, 431 U.S. 920, 97 S.Ct. 2189, 53 L.Ed.2d 232 (1977)), the court noted:
Questions or disputes as to the meaning of terms which arise during jury deliberations should be settled by the court after consultation with counsel, in supplemental instructions. Such guidance will avoid the danger that jurors will use the dictionary to construct their own definition of legal terms which do not accurately or fairly reflect applicable law.
United States v. Birges, 723 F.2d at 670-71.
Granted Birges and Gunter are criminal cases, this, however, in no way detracts from the announced salutary rule given therein. Here the district court’s actions suffer from three vices: the definition was read from the dictionary, was read to the jury over counsel’s objections without any supplemental instructions or directions by the district court, and the definition given neither fairly nor accurately described and phrase “poorly differentiated tumor” in the medical context in which the term was used. In fact, no safeguards were taken other than the court’s own announced perplexity with a novel situation.
Under the circumstances shown herein, we find that the prejudice to Harold’s case is apparent and that the measures taken by the court in reading from the dictionary caused Harold substantial prejudice. See Osborne v. United States, 351 F.2d 111, 119 (8th Cir.1955).
Accordingly, the judgment is reversed and remanded for a new trial.