Bl
This is a section on symptoms, possible diagnosis and remedies. These six
exchanges between doctor and patient have been mixed up. Decide which response
should follow which question.
1 I've been suffering from insomnia
lately. Do you think I might be
heading for a nervous breakdown?
2 I seem to have some sort of stye or
infection in my right eye. Do you
think I might have conjunctivitis?
Cy
I can’t stop scratching this place on
my foot. Do you think it’s athlete’s
foot?
4 Ive got a rather sore throat, and I
keep feeling a bit flushed. Do you
think it could be *flu?
a
T’ve got a big bump on the back of
my head. Do you think it might be
more than a bruise?
o
I keep getting shooting pains down
my shin and ankle. Is it possible that
Ive broken or sprained something?
a Possible. Try this lotion for a few days
to stop the itching, then start putting
on this powder at night.
b Unlikely, but I'll let you have some
cough mixture to relieve the
symptoms. You can get yourself some
lozenges, if you like,
°
I would doubt it. Here, rub this cream
in for the next few nights to help
reduce the swelling.
d No, of course not. But I'll preseribe
some barbiturates — sleeping pills -
to help you get a good night’s rest. OK?
°
I wouldn’t have thought so. But Il
give you a prescription for some
drops to try and clear it up.
*
Well, the X-ray didn’t show anything.
Ifit’s so painful, you'd better have
some crutches to walk with and some
painkillers to ease the pain.
Rearrange these six paragraphs in the same way.
Tve got a dull ache in my arm and
occasionally I get a spasm. Could
it be a minor fracture, a chipped
bone or something?
wo
Tye got these tiny little bumps
all over the back of my neck.
Do you think it might be gland
trouble?
cy
Tve come out in a rash on my chest.
Do you think it could be a skin
disease like impetigo or
dermatiti
-
Ikeep getting short of breath. Is
there any way I could be suffering
from asthma?
5 [think I've got an ulcer in my mouth.
Do you think it could be a sign that
Tmrun down?
o
I feel so feverish, and I'm sure I've
got a temperature. I'm so afraid
that there’s something wrong
with my heart.
a Mm, sounds a bit like it. ll make
you out a prescription for some
penicillin, and some menthol
inhalations might speed up the
recovery.
o
It’s just possible. I'l strap it up
anyway and put it in a sling. That
should reduce your discomfort quite
alot.
Oh, I shouldn’t think so, but I think
perhaps you ought to start taking
these tranquillisers, to at least get
your blood pressure down.
°
d_ Ohno, no, no. You'd know if it was. I'l
give you some ointment to rub in to
get rid of the inflammation.
°
Probably not. I'll put you on a course
of tablets to prevent them from
spreading. They should go soon.
>
It might well be. I'll put you on
antibiotics for a while anyway, to
lessen the risk of serious infection.Without looking back at the previous two texts, try to supply the missing word that
completes these expressions:
1 under the...
2 it’s justa... of time 8 abit
8... the mend
4 suffer ... hayfever
5 togo... with flu
6 turn the...
7 as... asa fiddle
colour
9 fighting ... his life
10 allergic... dust
11 as right as...
12 just a... attack of nerves
Here, on this rather unpleasant page, are some of the best-known and least-wanted
diseases and conditions, arranged according to where they strike or what causes
them, However, in each group there is one that should not be there. Can you identify
it?
The heart and blood vessels
poor circulation
high blood pressure
astroke
heart attack
jaundice
cardiac arrest
heart failure
The stomach and intestines
appendicitis
stomach ulcer
polio
ahernia
constipation
Infectious fevers
measles
chickenpox
German measles (rubella)
smallpox
pleurisy
glandular fever
yellow fever
scarlet fever
whooping cough
influenza
leprosy
malaria
The lungs and respiratory system
diphtheria
catarrh
sinusiti
tonsili
laryngitis
asthma
angina
cholera
bronchitis
tuberculosis (TB)
lung cancer
The liver
gallstones
cirrhosis of the liver
hepatitis
cancer of the liver
coronary thrombosis
The blood
anaemia
pneumonia
leukaemia
a haemorrhage
a blood clot
Food poisoning
typhoid
dysentery
diarrhoea and vomiting
salmonella
mumps
The joints
rheumatism
enteritis
arthritis
fibrositis
The nervous system
migraine
epilepsy (epileptic fits)
Parkinson’s disease
multiple sclerosis
muscular dystrophy
Mental disorders
schizophrenia
manic depression
neurosis
paranoiaObservations of a Hospital Porter
Ambulance siren,
Brakes squealing,
Screeching. Bleeding.
Stretchers wheeling.
Anaesthetic.
Operations.
Amputation.
Blood transfusion.
Every hour
Asiren blares
‘Another night
At St Mary’s.
Practice 2
A Nurse’s Lament
Complete the text below by filling each gap with one of the following verbs:
dressing setting giving taking saving fitting sterilising taking out
transplanting taking off performing.
Well, don’t you think it’s unfair? There they are upstairs, ... bones, ... skin grafts,
. pacemakers, ... organs, ... lives and exciting things like that. And here I am
spending the whole of my day ... people’s pulse, ... bandages,
.. Stitches, ... wounds and .
money for all the fun they have!
Reading 3
Prevention is better than cure.
HIS LIFE IS IN YOUR HANDS
Hard to imagine that until a few months ago this little boy was in mortal danger and
nearly lost his life.
Without proper vaccination he was at the mercy of every germ, virus, bacterial
disease around.
Don't take the risk’
is fully inoculated. Today!
GIVE YOUR CHILD A FAIR CHANCE — TO LIVE!Write or act out conversa
doctor's gu
1
WW read earlier ~in which a d
ich a doet 7 1
discuss how the patient showy @ patient andi praena longer than the ones you
rec patient's mother, wife or husband
over fh
‘om the operation he or she is about to have.
p List and give re: we) a
st and give reasons for five golden rules f Keeping hy
keeping healthy.
tions in a
Debate or write about the topi,
e pic: Nobod;
a Organise your thoughts carefully bef, pete live till they're a hundred and ten.
gin.
[@] Describe the remedies or tr
accidents listed below.
1 abad burn
2 nosebleed 6 a fish-hook in the finger
3 frostbite Hesectd
hie a person who's fainted
3 2 hangover 9 a person who's nearly drowned
Write a letter to a friend from your hospital bed, describing your way of life for the
past few weeks, before and since your operation.
Write, in dialogue form, a conversation between a GP (General Practitioner or family
doctor), a parent and a very spotty child.
E Add any more words you need to deseribe any further illnesses you may catch or hear
of,[1] Study the ‘case history’ below. Then write ten headlines for the President's ten-day
illness, from President taken ill to The nation holds its breath.
‘You're in perfect health ... as fit as a fiddle ... there's nothing wrong with you.’
‘feel a bit off-colour .., rather under the weather ... I do feel funny ... I really
don’t feel well ... I think I'm sickening for something ... I feel feverish ... like
death warmed up.’
‘He's been taken ill... he's in a coma ... fighting for his life ... still critically ill...
ina very critical condition ... no change ... still seriously ill. still hasn't
regained consciousness ... is responding to treatment ... off the danger list ...
showing signs of coming round ... making progress ... his conditio
isfactory ... he’s come out of the coma... he's as well as can be expected ..
comfortable ... 10 change ... he’s turned the corner ... he's on the mend.’
‘We all wish you a speedy recovery ... get well soon ... we're glad you're over it”
‘The worst is over ... he's almost completely recovered ... he's practically
cured ... he’s convalescing ... coming along nicely ... he'll be on his feet again
soon ... he'll be out and about again in a few day:
‘He's had a relapse ... he's no better ... he's getting worse ... his condition is
deteriorating ... he’s getting weaker ... he’s slipping away ... fading fast ... his
life is hanging by a thread .. it's just a matter of time ... he could go at any
second!”
‘He's made a miraculous recovery ... he’s as good as new ... as right as rain ...
he'll live till he’s a hundred.’
[2] After all that, do you feel well enough to read on? Note the ways that illnesses can be
spoken of and reported in the text below.
Examination Fever
For most of the year, most of us had been allergic to work; apparently there had
been a history of such allergies in the school,
‘Throughout the spring there had been quite a few eases of Exams are stupid’, which
proved highly contagious among friends.
Then in late May, one or two of us suffered a mild attack of ‘Gosh, is it really next
month?’ and we seemed to give that to the others rather rapidly. You could tell how it
was spreading from improved attendance at lessons.
An even more serious outbreak was that of the very infectious I don't know a
thing’ two weeks before. At about the same time everyone seemed to eateh ‘You're no
good!’ from the teachers. Then there was a bout of ‘I don't really care’ followed by a
few chronic cases of ‘My parents will kill me’. This again proved very catching;
half the class was down with it in the week leading up to the exam itself, and it
had reached epidemic proportions by the Friday before.
By this time, those who had been suffering from ‘It'll be easy for me’ had made a
total recovery.
‘That Friday there was a ‘What if 'm suffering from amnesia?’ seare, and this had
developed by Monday into a touch of I can't even remember my own name’.
‘There were also, of course, the normal isolated cases of ‘My pen doesn't work’ and
several pupils had a sudden fit of Where's the toilet”
‘Afterwards there were a couple of complaints of ‘I know I've failed’, but generally
the worst seemed to be over. Such diseases are rarely terminal. And after all, we
had a convalescence and recuperation period of six and a half weeks to follow.