Exercise 3. Match the words from column A with their equivalents from column B.

A 1. Medicine (remedy) for 2. Infectious (contagious) disease 3. To cure 4. (In)curable disease 5. To keep one’s bed 6. To treat for 7. To undertake a course of treatment for 8. Children’s disease 9. To complain of 10. To give a patient a sick-leave 11. To inoculate against 12. Complication on sth after 13. To work wonders

B a) соблюдать постельный режим b) пройти курс лечения от c) прививать от d) заразная болезнь e) лекарство от f) творить чудеса g) лечить от h) излечивать i) (не)излечимая болезнь j) детская болезнь жаловаться на ч/л k) дать больничный лист l) осложнения на ч/т после

Exercise 4. Fill in the blanks with prepositions:

1. I met Bill... the pharmacy.

2. Nobody has yet found a cure... AIDS.

3. He was treated... flu while he had quinsy.

4. What are you complaining...?

5. I can hardly walk... my rheumatism.

6. Who cared him... the disease?

7. I've been suffering... bad headaches lately.

8. He'll have to be operated...... appendicitis.

9. The boy was shivering... cold.

10. You must have the prescription made.......

Text “Highlights from the history of medicine”

The practice of medicine is one of the oldest professions in the history of mankind. Some of methods that ancient healers employed in their efforts to prevent or cure disease are a source of amusement to modern health care workers. However, it is surprising how many medical ideas, techniques, and medications still used today originated in civilizations hundreds and even thousands of years old.

In ancient civilizations, people believed that illnesses were caused either by angry gods or evil spirits, so the earliest “cures” were techniques for pacifying the gods or driving away demons. The use of charms, spells and prayers was common. Specific foods were also prescribed – a lion’s heart to fortify one’s courage, or a leaf that resembled a particular body organ to heal the affliction of the look-alike body part.

In early societies as in the present day, advice came not only from those designated as healers, but from the folk wisdom handed down from one generation to the next. What would cure the common cold? Folk medicine prescribed a dirty sock around the neck. Afflicted with leg cramps? Folk culture cured the condition with a pair of shoes placed upside down under the bed. Tobacco juice was reputed to heal an earache, and black pepper and lark were supposed to cure asthma. Folklore was also full of warnings. Pregnant women, for example, were advised not to hang clothes on a clothesline because this action might produce knots in the umbilical cord.

But prehistoric and ancient people also made some medical discoveries of curative value. For example, thousands of years ago, people used willow bark (which contained chemicals similar to those in today’s aspirin) to relieve pain. As far back as 10,000 years ago, prehistoric healers performed surgery. The earliest known surgical procedure was an operation called trephining, in which a hole was cut in the patient’s skull to relieve pressure on the brain. This pro­cedure discovered in prehistoric skeletal remains, is still in use today!

Hippocrates, the ancient physician commonly considered the father of medicine, was born in Greece in 460 B.C. Although the Greeks of this period were still seeking medical cures at temple of the Greek god of healing, Hippocrates maintained that disease had only natural causes.

Though its authorship is unknown, the famous Hippocratic Oath is named for him. In this oath doctors promise (among other things) to maintain the utmost respect for human life and to respect the confidentiality of the doctor-patient relationship.

Fragments of pre-Christian Egyptian writings described a routine still followed by most doctors – moving from the patient’s symptoms to physical examination and then to suggested therapy and prognosis. Also in the ancient world of the Middle East, the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi (dated 2040 B.C. and inscribed on a great stone pillar) contained statements about the proper conduct physicians and prescribed punishments for malpractice.

Ancient medical advancers in the Far East were also significant. In India, early medical marvels included the discovery of the relationship between malaria and mosquitoes, the discov­ery of more than 700 medicinal plants, and the invention of more than 100 surgical instruments. In the fifth century A.D. the great Indian Physician Susruta was treating fractures, removing tumors, and delivering babies by Caesarean section.

The medical therapy called acupuncture – which involves inserting needles into selective sites on the surface of the body – has been a part of Chinese medicine since ancient times. Although it was originally used to treat disease, acupuncture’s effectiveness in sometimes control­ling chronic pain has recently become more widely acknowledged by the Western world.

The period called the Renaissance (which began in the 14^th century in Italy and spread throughout Europe) was characterized by a great revival in learning. During this period, medical knowledge increased rapidly, aided greatly by the development of printing. Laws forbidding the dissection of cadavers were relaxed, and as a result, the first accurate textbook on human anatomy was published, correcting Galen’s errors.

In 1545, the first pharmacy was opened in London. Prescription medicines had been administered prior to this time, but establishment of this shop indicated that, medication was becoming an accepted means of treating disease. Today, many thousands of drugs are used to treat illness.

The microscope (which greatly enlarges very small objects) was invented in 1590. This tool has since become indispensable in the diagnosis of disease. Laboratory technicians use it regularly to analyze specimens of blood, urine, and tissue. Their reports provide physicians with valuable information which could not otherwise be known.

In the 19^th century, modern surgery was made possible by two revolutionary discoveries: the invention of safe methods of anesthesia and the control of wound infection by the use of antiseptics and sterile equipment. Also in this century, a set diagnostic procedure – requiring a complete case history and a thorough physical examination – became common medical practice. Finally, in 1895, came Roentgen’s X-ray.

The 20^th century has brought amazing medical advances in nearly every area of medicine. Open-heart surgery has been developed. Organ transplants are often successful. Vaccines, (infectious agents given to patients to establish resistance to particular disease) have virtually eliminated the threat of poliomyelitis (an infectious disease that can cause paralytic). The electrocardiogram (EKG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) help physicians detect heart and brain malfunctions, respectively. Due to earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment, more and more cancer victims are surviving. Sophisticated X-ray techniques allow more accurate diagnoses and more effective treatment. Lasers (powerful beams of light) make many surgical procedures faster and easier.

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