At the doctor’s office (At the doctor’s)

Firs, we have to wait in the waiting room until the nurse calls us into the examination room.

The nurse has to locate our medical record and asks to see our insurance card. Their other duties include:

• taking the temperature
• checking the blood pressure
• taking/drawing blood
• testing the urine

Then we are ready to enter the examination room/doctor’s office/surgery. The doctor
usually asks us how we feel, what problems we are having, or what’s bothering us. If we have a headache, a sore throat, a cold, or a cough, we need to mention it. Then the doctor examines us. He:

1. Listens to our lungs and heart.
2. Asks us to take a deep breath or hold our breath according to his instructions.
3. Makes a diagnosis.
4. Writes a prescription for us.
5. Schedules the next check-up.

Then we go to the drugstore (AmE) / chemist’s (BrE) where we can get:

• Antibiotics, gargle, cough syrup, vitamins, ointments, nose drops, and painkillers.
• We need to take medicine according to the doctor’s advice, and for a short time, we may be unable to attend school or work.
• Every household should have a first-aid kit. It should contain: a clinical thermometer, sterile gaze pads, bandages, Band-Aids, scissors, and some pain relievers.

QUESTION TIME
PART 3

1. When do you go to see the doctor?
2. What questions do doctors ask their patients?
3. Describe what happens in a doctor’s surgery / office.
4. What is the nurse´s job?
5. What medicine can we take at the pharmacy / at the chemist’s / drugstore?
6. What items does a first-aid kit contain?

Critical illnesses

Sometimes the situation may be critical and requires special treatment in a hospital.
Here are some serious illnesses that require special treatment:

• heart attack, pneumonia, jaundice, stroke, concussion, blood poisoning, insomnia, salmonellosis, appendicitis, breaking an arm or a leg

In the hospital, injured people are examined and X-rayed. Very serious cases are immediately operated on in the operating room (AmE) / the operating theatre (BrE).
Doctors who work in hospitals are usually referred to as specialists, for example:

• surgeons, psychiatrists, internists, ophthalmologists, gynecologists, dermatologists, pediatricians

Illnesses of Civilization

Many people suffer from:

• pollen allergies, food allergies, diabetes, obesity, cancer.
• Cancer is one of the biggest threats nowadays. Every year, more and more people of all ages are diagnosed with tumors of all types.
• Daffodil Day is a public collection organized to raise money to provide support for people with cancer and their families.

QUESTION TIME
PART 4

1. Which diseases do you think are the most serious? Why? 
2. Can you name any medical specialists in English?
3. Have you ever had to go to the hospital? If so, what for?
4. How long did you stay there?
5. Which illnesses related to modern lifestyles can people suffer from?
   (Illnesses of Civilization)
6. What is Daffodil Day?

Civilization Diseases and Epidemics

The latest global threat is the COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic. It was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. While most people who
recover from COVID-19 experience mild symptoms, it can also lead to severe illness and
even death. The virus primarily spreads when an infected person is in close contact with
another person.

Symptoms of COVID-19 are variable: fever, cough, fatigue, breathing difficulties, loss of
smell and taste.

Preventive measures include: physical or social distancing, ventilation of indoor spaces, covering your mouth and nose when you caught or sneeze, handwashing, and keeping unwashed hands away from the face, the use of face masks in public.

Internal Organs of the Human Body

Heart, lungs, liver, stomach, kidneys, brain, small intestine, large intestine (colon), gallbladder, pancreas, spleen, bladder, etc.

Parts of the Human Body

head, hair, forehead, eyebrows, eyes, nose, cheeks, ears, mouth, lips, teeth, tongue, chin,
neck, shoulders, arms, elbows, wrists, hands, fingers, chest, breast, abdomen, navel (belly
button), hips, thighs, knees, legs, ankles, feet, toes

Fingers: thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, pinky finger